With Grace and Elegance
by Bristol Syzygy
Summary: When Taylor Hebert controlled bugs, she killed a god. When she can create soul severing swords with abilities so numerous and powerful that the Endbringers themselves are left in terror? Run, god. Run far, far away.
1. Scatter 1-1

**Well. I've hung around this site for over a year, and I decided that I wanted to at least try to upload a story of my own, and see how it went. The idea isn't exactly original (Alt-Power Taylor and all that), but fuck it. Any and all form of reviews are appreciated, even if you're telling me to go hand myself. After all, the more reviews I have, the more likely people are to actually read my story, and maybe someone will come around who gives me a good review or too. Hopefully.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach or Worm. Both belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

I woke up to the sound of the Ocean. I had lived in Brockton Bay for all my life, and seeing as Brockton Bay is a city by the ocean, I was fairly used to the noises that originate the vast expanses of water. But why was I near the ocean? The last thing that I could remember was…

Oh.

Oh dear god. The Locker. Those Bitches, no, Sophia Fucking Hess, had grabbed me by my hair, slammed my head into a wall, and shoved me into a too small locker, filled with insects and dried blood and fungus and mucus and filth.

I nearly broke into tears right there and then, curling into a foetal position in a feeble attempt to ward off the shudders that had started to run all over my body. My breaths started coming in choked gasps, my lungs tripping over each other in their panicked state of fear. I barely noticed the knobbly grey stone I was lying on, too focused on trying to rid that feeling of being completely and utterly filthy.

After what felt like and probably was hours, I felt strong enough to rise to my knees. The sounds of the ocean still caressed my ears, and now that I wasn't hyperventilating, I could also smell the ocean, brine and sea salt flowing gently through the air.

I rose to my knees slowly, cleaning my tear-stained glasses with my finger. As soon as I put my mostly clean glasses on my face, I gasped in shock. I had been kneeling on some sort of grassy cliff overlooking an infinite ocean. The stone beneath my feet was the kind you would find in some sort of wilderness, uneven and rough, but still uniform enough to form a mostly flat surface. But what really stole my breath away was the ocean. An unending expanse of sapphire blue, gently undulating in smooth waves, lapping slowly against the hard rock of the cliff face I was standing on.

I don't know how long I spent staring out into that endless and beautiful expanse, but I know that it was enough time for the small quivers that had remained in my body to stop completely. A cobbled path led up to what some sort of stone structure that flowed seamlessly into the ground, almost as if the structure was a part of the ground itself.

I walked towards the odd structure slowly, one foot stepping steadily in front of the other. I felt completely at peace with myself, a feeling that I hadn't felt since my mom had died. I could feel… something, welling up inside of me, each step I took closer to the odd structure strengthened that power, I could feel it filling my body up from the inside and out. The power felt odd, hard to describe. If I had to use a word, it would be… elegant? Like a flower petal or maybe a leaf, slowly drifting down to the ground, spinning gracefully in the wind. There was also an odd sense of pride to it, almost arrogance but not quite, but much more refined than simple cokiness.

The little stone structure reminded me a bit of a gazebo, a domed roof supported by pillars about as thick as me. There didn't appear to be any pillars supporting the side of the building away from me, giving a clear view of the cobalt ocean. I paused on the threshold of the structure, if I took one mores step, I would be underneath the domed roof of the structure.

I felt like I was on the auspice of something huge. Something life changing, so colossal and unbelievably huge that it would not only change my own life, but the life of thousands around me, it would change the very existence of my world. It was unexplainable, but I knew, I just knew, that as soon as I took this one step forward, there was no turning back.

I stepped forward.

My perspective of the building changed, what had been a small stone gazebo was now a towering stone chamber. It had kept It's original structure, but the roof was as high as a skyscraper and the pillars surrounding me were just as thick. In the exact center of the room a table sized portion of the floor was raised to from a completely flat surface. What looked like a massive flat bottomed stalactite. It stopped a few meters above the flat surface in the middle of the room, forming a space for me to forge my swords.

I blinked rapidly at the thought that had just formed. 'Form my what?' I glanced back at the smooth stone surface, and all of my confusion was instantly swept away. I knew what to do. My very soul, knew what to do.

A deep heat started to build in my chest, warming my skin to an almost uncomfortable heat. I breathed in deeply, leant forward slightly, and breathed white hot flames over the stone forge. In a turn of events just as nonsensical as these past few hours had been, the stone somehow caught fire, flickering yellow and orange flames writhing erratically on the inflammable surface.

Ignoring the way that I just broke the laws of physics, I strode towards the flaming surface. Once I stood a few steps away from the flames, I closed my eyes and reached deep within me. That beautiful energy, a grove of pink cherry blossom trees, that had been slowly rising within me surged up, the contrast of temperature between the almost frosty feel of the energy and the burning heat of the forge made my skin break out into goosebumps. I held my left hand out if front of me, and watched as white material began to from in my hands, elongating instead of widening to create a long, thin rectangle of that completely undefinable material.

As I held the white material in my hands over the flames, my other hand rose to my mouth. I grabbed a molar and tugged, the hard white enamel in my hand coming out with a spray of bright red blood. In yet another reality defying event, the tooth lengthened out into a large black hammer that had almost comedic proportions.

The hammer fell.

I could feel what I wanted to make in my mind, what I wanted to turn this abnormal white material into, an elegant curving blade, a perfect blade that held thousands upon thousands of thousands of pink blades, the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life.

The hammer fell again and again and again, the material under me slowly but surely starting to take shape into what I wanted it to be.

I don't know how long I worked on that first sword, that first Zanpakuto, but what I do remember is what I felt when I had completed it. As I raised the purple handled sword from the now smouldering flames, I smiled. 'This,' I decided, 'must be what true happiness feels like.'

I decided to speak aloud for what was probably the first time in days.

"Scatter. Senbonzakura."

* * *

"I'm going to go to school today dad."

Dad paused in the middle of the act of scooping some cereal into his mouth to stare at me. I snickered in spite of myself, the sight of him pausing in the middle of eating was pretty funny, open mouthed, with milk slowly plopping back into his bowl. He gathered himself, putting the spoon back into the bowl and leaning back in his chair.

"Are you sure Taylor? After what…" he paused. "Happened last week, I would've thought you would want to stay out of school a bit longer."

My dad spoke softly in a slightly nasal tone, the voice of someone more used to getting pushed around by others instead of being in command. Although his voice and appearance would convince you otherwise, (he was balding and thin, with a weak chin and glasses) Dad had a vicious temper, and had been known to scare entire rooms of people into submission when he was truly pissed off.

I smiled at him in a resigned sort of way. "If I stay out of school for too long, I'll never want to go back." I turned back to my cereal, keeping my gaze on the cheap wheat flakes. "And besides," I said, quieter than before. "If I stay out of school, then that means that I'm letting them win. And I can't, won't, let myself get walked over anymore.

I looked back up at him, dull green eyes peering out from behind thick glasses. Dad's face was an odd mix of pride and grief, but he smiled at me anyway. "Whatever you think is best, honey."

I smiled back at him, and rose from my seat, dumping the rest of my cereal into the bin and putting the bowl into our clunky dishwasher. I walked up the stairs to my room steadily, pushing open my door and closing it behind me once I reached it.

My room was simple and spartan. A bed, dresser and desk made up all the furniture. The walls were a boring gray and the floors were made up of a light brown wood. A door opposite my bed lead to a small bathroom, which was equally dull and boring. I knew teenagers' rooms were meant to be messy and full of stuff, all bright colours and band posters. My family was one of the many that didn't have any sort of money to spare on decoration, there hadn't been enough money to go around in the city ever since the docks and ferry had shut down.

Welcome to Brockton Bay. Guess what? It's a shithole.

I put aside my cynical musings and walked over to my bed, reaching under it to grab the Zanpakuto that I had stored there last night. Senbonzakura was, in my opinion, the most beautiful thing in existence. It was simplistic, reflective silver steel leading into a lavender and gold handle, a hollow square shaped guard gilded with the purest gold imaginale, every single inch of it screamed grace and elegance.

I had stored my first Zanpakuto underneath my bed to see how long it could stay manifested in the physical realm without me actively making it. At least 12 hours, although probably a lot more, seeing as there wasn't any form of degradation or erosion on the sword.

I smiled gently at the blade. Right now, the Zanpakuto was still in it's infancy, too fresh and new to comunicate with me outside of the most basic emotions. Eventually, it would have a soul of it's own, but right now I wasn't experienced enough with my own abilities to form a fully fledged Zanpakuto straight out of the forge. Right now, all Senbonzakura was feeling happiness and contentment in my hands.

I concentrated for a second, and the sword disappeared in a gentle puff of pink flower petals, returning to what I had named the spiritual realm. Was it conceited to name my own personal hammerspace a realm? Yeah, but who was gonna stop me? I liked it, and that was all that really mattered. Senbonzakura would be my side in an instant if I wished it, ready to slay any who might stand in my way.

I didn't want to do any slaying myself, but Senbonzakura could be almost instantly fatal if I wanted it to be, and seeing as it's entire power set revolved around blades, I doubted that I would be able to avoid bloodshed. But those were thoughts for another day. Right now, I had to deal with every teens worst enemy. High School, with the added bonus of three total bitches that wanted to fuck my day up six ways to Sunday. Yay.

* * *

I was the first out of Mr. Gladly's classroom. There were three reasons for this. The first of these reasons, was because of where I was sitting. I was one of the closest students to the door, and I didn't wait around in the room to talk and joke with friends (I didn't have any). The second reason was because of my own personal dislike/hatred of Mr. Gladly, or, as he wanted all the students to call him, Mr. G. He was one of those teachers who focused more on getting the students to think of him as the 'cool teacher' than actually teaching anything. Sure, he went through the motions of teaching, giving us homework and stuff, but it was all boring and dull, and it was easy to tell he didn't really care about teaching his students. The third reason, and what was really the only important one, was the bitch trio. It was unoriginal, but I really didn't want to put any more effort into giving them a group name than necessary.

My school life had, for an amount of time that was far, far too long, mainly revolved around avoiding Emma Barnes, Sophia Hess and Madison Clements. The three of them together were the goddamn queens of highschool, they reigned supreme over all the other students. When I had first entered high school, Emma, my former sister in everything but blood, had decided to try her damndest to turn my life into a living hell. I had resorted to running and hiding from them at every opportunity I got, it had gotten so bad that I hid away in a stall in the girls bathroom at lunch. As sad as it was, it was my last sanctuary, my last safe haven that they still hadn't found yet.

I pulled my hood over my face as I exited the classroom in the vain hope that It would help me to hide from my bullies. I rushed down the hallway, navigating my way through the ocean of high schoolers to get to the stairwell, which would in return take me down to the mathematics classroom.

Today was not, apparently, my lucky day. I could see a collection of some of Emma's cronies a few metres in front of me, whispering conspiratorially to each other while glancing and pointing at me. As I neared, I started to hear what they were saying. An asian girl snickered behind her hand while stage whispering to her short friend.

"Look at that bitch. What a waste of space. She looks like a fucking frog."

The other girls were joining in on the fun too. "

"Dumb bitch. Did you hear that she's failing biology?"

"Jesus christ, what is she wearing? She must have pulled that sweater out of a trash heap.

"She's so ugly."

"She should do us all a favour and just jump off the goddamn roof."

What they were saying didn't really bother me. It had at first, but after months and months of the same shit, you grow a hard outer shell. At this point, the only thing that really got to me was when Emma brought up old memories. We had shared everything with each other back when we were friends, and now she used it in her own sick, twisted psychological warfare against me.

I ignored them and tried to navigate around them, walking to the other side of the hallway, as far away from them as I could possibly be, but once again, it seemed that luck wasn't on my side. Sophia Hess was leaning against the locker's right in front of me, talking with Emma. Although Sophia's back was to me, I could see Emma's eyes light up in a twisted delight, and that was enough for me to know that there positioning right in front of me was completely intentional.

Emma was one of the most beautiful people I had ever had the displeasure of laying eyes upon. Her silky, waist length red hair and metallic amber eyes made her good looking enough, but she had a face and body to match. Next to me, who was all bones and skin and plain face, it was obvious who the students would follow. I'll give you a hint, she's redheaded, hot, and a complete and utter bitch.

Sophia was the track star of the school, and she was just as popular as Emma was. Just as bitchy too. Sophia was still shorter than me, but a bit taller than Emma, with chocolate coloured skin and deep brown eyes. Sophia, being the sadistic bitch that she was, took on the role of being a much more physical bully, she pushed, shoved and tripped (me) her way into making my life into an absolute living hell.

I tried to turn the other way to move around my two bullies, but surprise surprise, the girls that had been throwing words at me were now boxing me in, surrounding me and effectively preventing me from escaping Sophia and Emma.

They were accompanied by Madison Clements, a girl who, in all honesty, was a small fry compared to Sophia and Emma. Madison was one of those cute, petite girls, her blonde hair was cut short, which only enhanced her pixie like appearance. Madison was the 'pranker' of the group, glue on my seat, food down the back of my clothes, pencil sharpenings in my hair, that kind of thing. Comparing to Emma's mental torture of me and Sophia often painful actions, Madison was more of an annoyance than anything. They started doing exactly what they had been doing a few minutes ago, stage whispering to each other while simultaneously insulting me.

"Jesus Sarah, did you see what that Hebert bitch was wearing today? Looks like she bought it from a thrift store."

"Isn't Hebert just the dumbest bitch in our entire grade? Her grades are so fucking bad."

"Did you hear what happened a week ago? I heard that Hebert locked herself in a locker with used tampons and tried to commit suicide. Retard couldn't even do that right."

I twitched violently at that one. They all knew exactly what had happened on that day, and they had the fucking gall to suggest that I had locked myself in there? It filled me with wrath to think that they could pull something like that off, and get away with it easily.

That was the issue with the entire situation, my Dad and I simply didn't have the money to pursue any form of lawsuit, we could barely, and I mean barely, get by as it was. Hell, we had to take the schools hush money after the locker incident, just so we could pay the hospital bills without drowning in debt.

"Life would have been so much better for all of us if you had been in that car with your mum, Taylor."

Emma spoke up, and as always, she went straight for the kill. My mother, Annette Hebert, had died in a car crash years ago, and Emma had been my only comfort at the time while my dad drowned on depression.

I felt my heart break a little. Somewhere, deep, deep down in my subconscious, I had held onto the feeble hope that after seeing just how completely fucked up I had been after the locker, she would maybe let up a little on the bullying, and maybe, just maybe, we could have been friends again.

As is apparent, even holding the tiniest bit of hope that Emma might return to me was completely gone and buried. And at this point? I found that I really didn't give a shit. Emma and her entire clique could be brutally slaughtered in an E88 or ABB attack, and I doubted that I would feel an ounce of pity.

Besides, now, I was better than them I had powers, I had fucking powers, and at that moment, I promised myself that I would equate to something greater than them. I would become a hero, no, I would become one of the best goddamn heroes ever, someone that people would hold equal to heroes like Alexandria and Narwhal, someone far, far more important than these bitches could even dream to be.

I could feel Senbonzakura stir within me, my internal vow had brought Senbonzakura to nearly awakening. I soothed it, sending feelings of love and happiness towards it. It wouldn't do for Senbonzakura to awaken in the middle of school, it needed to be somewhere isolated and private, as I had no idea what would happen when Senbonzakura truly came into existence as a being. It still brought me happiness though, knowing that my first Zanpakuto would soon be truly complete.

I pushed my way in between two of Madison's cronies, stepping over Sophia's outstretched leg while I did so. Even though I knew that they could have stopped me if they really wanted to, it still felt good to shove my way out, to fight back, even if it was only if in that miniscule way.

I smiled as I walked away. Life was finally starting to look up for me. After all, even if I had to go through hell to get them, I had powers. I had my Senbonzakura, and with it, the chance to make my life something apart from an endless cycle of getting bullied and feeling complete and utter hopelessness.

For the first time in god knows how long, I had a future.

* * *

 **Yes, I am very well aware that this entire chapter is more or less exposition. Hopefully, anyone who isn't very well acquainted with the worm verse will have gotten a bit of an education, and anyone who is might have been at least a bit entertained. It'll get better. Worm itself started kinda wonkily, so I guess it's just part of the process?**

 **I make no promises as far as my update schedule** are **concerned. School's a bitch, and I'm also a lazy piece of shit. Sue me.**


	2. Scatter 1-2

**You know, I really didn't expect much to come from this story, but to my eternal surprise, The story is above 50 favorites and follows, and it's barely 3000 words long. I got so into it that at times I would just stare at my email, hoping that another person would show interest in my writing. It's a very nice feeling, having people complement your creations. And a very big thank you to all who reviewed, knowing what people think about my story allows me to change it to be a bit more according to what they want to see, which will hopefully make the story a it more enjoyable.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach or Worm. Both belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

The sun was setting by the time I had reached the boat graveyard, illuminating the horizon in an awe-inspiring display of beauty. The sunset tinted the world a wonderful shade of pinkish orange, turning an ugly, slate grey city into a warmly coloured nirvana. Well, Appearance wise at least, when things like the E88 and The Merchants, it's almost guaranteed that corruption and filth will spread throughout the heart's and minds of the people who inhabit such a place. Case in point, Winslow High School.

But even though I knew how ugly the city really was, I couldn't help but appreciate the view from where I stood, among the heavily rusted corpses of gutted ships. A sunset like this was incredibly rare, and for the life of me, I couldn't remember the last time I was actually able to see something this beautiful.

I smiled in happiness. This beautiful vista would be my _Senbonzakura's_ first real view, the first thing that they saw. I was grateful now that I had decided not to try and awaken _Senbonzakura_ in the basement. Although it probably would have been a hell of a lot safer and more secure, risking my own safety for _Senbonzakura's_ first sight would hopefully be worth it. It would, after all, be my partner in battle, as well as (I prayed) my first real friend in a long, long time.

The boat graveyard was exactly what it sounded like, after Brockton Bay's shipping industry, which had been the city's main source of income, had been shut down, all of the boats had been sent here to waste away into eventual nothingness, it wasn't like anyone was brave enough to go out into water when something like Leviathan still existed. And seeing as it was seen as a miracle when the death rate only numbered in the hundreds, the defeat of the Endbringers probably wouldn't be coming around for a long while.

One of the boats, a large, moderately rust-free shipping freighter was standing almost straight up, it's deck being parallel with the ground, which was uncommon. It also looked out over the water, and as a result, was exactly where I wanted to awaken _Senbonzakura._ The only issue was that the boat was one of the furthest away from the shore, and I had no hope of getting onto it easily.

Well then. Time for some boat parkour.

I was wearing an old pair of blue jeans and a black hoodie with the hood pulled up over my head to hide my distinctive long, dark and curly hair. I had torn up an old bed sheet into one long strip and wrapped it around my neck as a makeshift scarf. I didn't want to greet _Senbonzakura_ with a mask, but I needed to have a way to conceal my face if any hero or villain came calling. I still didn't really know what would happen during the awakening, apart from the fact that my _Zanpakuto_ would be truly coming into existence. For all I knew, it could release a huge beam of energy into the sky, which would draw any self-respecting protectorate hero to me like a moth to a flame. All I needed to do was pull my shitty scarf up a bit, and voila. Identity concealed.

Getting over the boats was tough going, especially seeing as I was rather unfit. I had started running recently, trying to get into shape for my future do-goodering, but getting fit was a hell of a lot harder than all forms of media made it appear. After what was probably a solid hour of scrambling, clawing and shuffling over deceased boats, I finally reached my destination.

It was spring, so the sunset was still there, even though it's former glory was moderatley diminished. Whatever. It was good enough.

I sat down on the prow (front) of the boat in a cross legged pose, staring out at the tableau of warm colours that were splayed across the horizon. I drew _Senbonzakura_ from the spiritual realm, the blade appearing into existence the same way a sword appeared from a sheath, smatterings of pink petals falling from the exposed blade as it was slowly drawn. Setting the blade flat across my lap, I never once took my eyes from the horizon, allowing the sight to bring my mind to a calmer state.

I gave into my instincts, exactly as I did when I first smelted _Senbonzakura_ , and reached deep within myself. I could feel my _Zanpakuto_ there, waiting patiently for my call. I gave the blade a gentle tug, willing it's soul into existence. I compared it to the smelting once again, the energy rising within me felt as it did the first time, but this time it felt like so much more. The energy, no, _Senbonzakura_ was far more refined than it had been. Now instead of formless energy which vaguely personified some emotions, I knew exactly what the blade represented.

Pride.

Skill.

Regality.

And most importantly, elegance.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw pink petals slowly drift down to the ground, drifting lazily in artistic patterns as they fell onto the cold metal of the deck.

A tall man swathed in black and white stepped forward. His clothing was robelike and japanese in appearance, a sleeveless white coat (haori, my mind supplied) over flowing black pants and sleeves. His black hair was worn long, done up elaborately with white hairpieces. A beautiful white scarf was wrapped around his neck, one which made the scarf that I was wearing feel like an acne ridden girl trying to compare to the most beautiful woman in the world. I could see _Senbonzakura_ sheathed at his waist, even though he himself was _Senbonzakura._ Confusing.

He nodded to me respectfully, lowering himself smoothly to sit in a position identical to mine.

"Hello Taylor."

I smiled in what I hoped was a confident way, but probably came across as shy.

"Hello _Senbonzakura."_ I paused, uncertain of what to say. I internally cursed myself for my own social awkwardness. For all intents and purposes, I had _created_ the man who was sitting next to me. And I still couldn't hold a conversation to save my life figures.

"So… How are you?" I asked. I cringed internally. Really Taylor? He turned his head to me, slate gray eyes meeking dark brown. His eyebrow raised partially, and I could see the ever so faint tracings of amusement written on his face.

"I am well, Taylor."

He turned back to the sunset, staring out across the bay and horizon, the sun's light casting his face in a way that only highlighted his handsomeness. He looked rather majestic.

I fidgeted with my hands as we sat there in silence, him staring out over the sunset, me constantly alternating between the warmly coloured horizon and _Senbonzakura._ Was this a comfortable silence? An awkward one? Was he secretly disgusted with my lack of social skills? Scornful of my rather plain appearance? Revolted by the ugly mess of fabric wrapped around my neck?

He chuckled slightly, shocking me out of my nerve wracked mindset.

"I wouldn't worry, Taylor. You are my creator, I doubt I posses the ability to dislike you."

I gaped openly at him. Did he just read my mind? Did that mean he had been reading them since I smelted him, or had he just gained the ability a few minutes ago, when he came into existence? Was he reading my thoughts right now?

The side of his mouth quirked up ever so slightly, and if you turned your head and squinted really hard, it could have, maybe, been seen as a very small smirk.

"Enjoy the sunset Taylor."

So I did.

* * *

We didn't move from out positions until darkness had completely blanketed the world. The sun's final gilded rays had fallen beneath the horizon, leaving the world to revert to a clouded night sky. I engraved this memory into my head, the sunset, the silence, and, most importantly, _Senbonzakura_. At this moment in time, I wasn't thinking about my bullies, I wasn't thinking about my father's money problems, I wasn't thinking about my own lack of appealing features. All I felt was _Senbonzakura's_ presence and the sunset. It was the second time I had felt truly happy in a long, long time.

It was only when the sun had truly vanished from sight that _Senbonzakura_ moved. He exhaled slowly, closing his eyes as he did so. I glanced at him, far more confident after our little bonding session. When he opened his eyes again, he was looking at me. I smiled at him in response. Although his face didn't even twitch, I could feel a sense of contentment from him. Was this how he had read my mind? Reading my emotions? Neat.

He rose from his seated position in one smooth movement which I tried to copy. I fell on my butt instead, my stiff legs (I had been sitting for an hour) failing to comply to my wishes. I blushed in embarrassment, yet I could feel that he was amused at my predicament, it would seem. Ass.

He held his hand out to me, and I took it without hesitation, this time rising to my feet without any sort of intensely embarrassing incident. He glanced out to the horizon once more, then back to me. Then my makeshift scarf.

He stayed fixated on my scarf for a solid minute, which only helped my slight feelings of awkwardness to rise once again. He sighed lightly, reached out to my neck, and yanked off my bed sheet/scarf hybrid. Letting it flutter to the ground, he took of his own scarf and wrapped it around my neck. The expensive material felt smooth and unbelievably silky, an inch of this wonderful fabric probably would have cost me my house.

"I won't have my wielder wearing such a... revolting travesty." He said in explanation, his voice still impressively monotonous. My eyelids fluttered in surprise.

"No no no, I couldn't accept something this…" I touched the scarf. "Expensive."

Without hesitating, he reached underneath his haori and pulled out another scarf, wrapping it around his own neck. It was exactly identical to the one he had given me, all white silk and perfect fabric.

The tall man nodded to me and turned around, to face the horizon that we had been staring at. I didn't know how he was going to do it, but I could recognize when someone was preparing to leave. I hesitated for a second, then reached out and grabbed one of his white clad hands. He turned his head not looking at me directly, but the one eye I could see was staring at me questioningly.

"Thank you, _Senbonzakura."_

"What for?" His voice was flat, but I could feel his slight curiosity.

"For being here for me." His eye widened in shock for a second, before it returned to it's usual half lidded gaze. He nodded to me once again.

"I'll be at your side when you need me, Taylor."

With that said, he turned around and started to walk off. I found myself gaping at my own _Zanpakuto_ once again as he started _walking on the goddamn air_ , dispersing in a flurry of pink cherry blossom petals to return to the spiritual realm.

I seriously had to learn how to do that.

I turned around to make my way home when my foot caught on something. I glanced down to see the scarf that I had been wearing before _Senbonzakura_ gave me his own, the torn and wrinkled mess splayed about messily on the rusted deck. I bent down and picked it up, contemplating it for a few seconds before a rush of inspiration hit me.

I turned around again to face out to the horizon once again, and tied the scarf around one of the forward facing prongs that were attached to the ship.

As I walked back home, The ragged piece of cloth flapped in the wind, billowing out to the side. Like a flag fluttering in the breeze.

Now then, to return to home and have dinner with my dad. I blinked in horror. Dad. I hadn't told him that I was going to be staying out late, and seeing as It was now after dark, and Brockton Bay was hardly the safest city on the planet, Dad had probably assumed that…

Son of a bitch.

* * *

Walking home from school the next day was the most exciting thing I had done since christmas as a child. Now don't be tricked, my life hadn't miraculously started to look up since yesterday, my tormentors were still tormenting, my bystanders still bystanding, and my dad was royally pissed.

Dad has an absolutely terrifying temper, and while most of the time he keeps it firmly under lock and key, he had come very, very close to losing his control last night. When I came back from the boat graveyard moderately late last night I had given a weak excuse about wanting to stay in the Library to study. I seriously doubted that he bought a word of it, and it showed in his temper. I knew that his anger mainly strayed from his utter terror of losing his last surviving family member, something I understood. But that didn't mean I was ready to deal with my dad brooding and grouching when he got back from his work. For such an old looking guy, dad could be surprisingly childish at times.

But to get back on track, the only reason I was so excited was because today was the day that I had decided to first go out and use my powers for the greater good.

I cringed, I was sure as well not gonna be one of the quip slinging heroes that were so popular with the fans. Ah well. Alexandria wasn't exactly the friendliest hero out there, and she was a member of the Triumvirate. I'd just have to make sure that I didn't open my mouth.

I didn't have any sort of costume planned out, but I did have a plan. Yesterday, _Senbonzakura_ had managed to replicate his own scarf into a perfect copy of the one he had given me. I was hoping that he would be able to replicate his outfit for me, the white and black robe like clothing, while slightly odd looking, had looked undeniably badass. I just planned to adjust my scarf so that it covered the bottom half of my face, and voila.

'But Taylor', you might think, 'what about your glasses?' those aren't very intimidating or cool looking. Well, I had recently discovered that I didn't actually need my glasses anymore. In fact, all of my bodily functions seem to have been slightly enhanced. It probably wouldn't qualify for any sort of rating from the Protectorate, but it probably put me at the height of power a human could reach. Combined with _Senbonzakura's_ own power, I reckoned that I was probably equal to, if not in experience, then in power, to capes along the lines of Hookwolf and Miss Militia.

My powers are amazing.

* * *

I stared at my bed in shock, awe, and with a growing respect for my _Zanpakuto_. When I had shyly mentally requested that he try and replicate an outfit for me similar to his own, he had simply told me to turn around and look at my bed. To my not inconsiderable surprise, lying there was an immaculate set of clothing that was almost identical to my own.

' _The black part of the outfit is a shikkahuso, whereas the white overcoat is a haori,'_ he informed me.

I nodded slowly, still in slight shock from the sudden appearance of my future hero outfit. As well as that, I apparently shared a telepathic link. Or maybe it was more along the lines of telepathic messaging, seeing as I had to actively think of what I wanted to say, instead of of my every thought being sent over to _Senbonzakura._ Which was good, as I didn't really want _Senbonzakura_ to know what I am thinking when I admire a good looking guy. That would have started all kinds of issues.

I gripped the bottom of my t-shirt to pull it over my head, preparing to change into the robe like clothing, but I paused halfway through the motion of doing so.

' _Senbonzakura, could you please, er, look away?'_ My face flushed in embarrassment a second later when I realized just how utterly stupid I must sound. Scratch that, I could practically see his raised eyebrow, the look of a teacher who just heard their teacher say something particularly stupid.

Huh. It seemed that I could predict his exact responses to things, like what I once did with Emma. I flinched a bit when thinking of my former best friend, but brought my mind back to the subject at hand. Did I really know _Senbonzakura_ that well, or was it just another aspect of my powers? I _had_ created him, emotions and all, so I supposed that it could be either.

I tugged my shirt and jeans off, slipping the pitch black shikkahuso on with ease. I had expected to fumble awkwardly with the complicated clothing, but it all came to me as easily as smelting _Senbonzakura_ did. Once the white Obi at the front of the outfit was properly tied together in a neat knot, I picked up the haori _._ I noticed that there was a black emblem on the back of the long white coat. I turned the haori around to get a better look at it. It looked like some sort of flower, with 5 petals and some thick, curving lines in the center of the flower. Above the flower was a symbol that looked a bit like a japanese kanji symbol, but it was shaped similarly to the flower design, with five outward facing points.

"The design depicts a camelia flower, which stands for Nobility and Reasoning. Goals to strive for in the future, Taylor."

I stared at the haori for a few more seconds, getting used to the feel of it in my hands. The material was soft and silky, the pale cloth slipping through my fingers easily. It was light enough that it wouldn't weigh me down in any noticeable way, but heavy enough so it would stay more or less firmly attached to my shoulders.

"Goals to strive for, huh?" I said to myself.

I slipped the haori on over my shoulders, moving around a bit to get used to the feeling of the clothes. Unsurprisingly, they felt very good. Tight enough so they wouldn't billow too much and get in my way, but loose enough so that it still retained that robe-like quality.

I slipped on the straw sandals that finished the outfit over my plain socks, grabbed my scarf, and strode over to the window. Once I had finished putting the scarf on correctly, making sure that It concealed enough of my face and that the long tails ran down my back, I let my hands drop to my sides and simply stood at my bedroom window.

It didn't make any real sense, but these clothes, no, this _uniform_ , instilled within me a sense of confidence that I had never held before, a sense of power and nobility and _elegance_ that was so totally new to me it almost took me by surprise.

I stepped up on the windowsill, and walked forward.

I was suddenly on one of the opposing rooftops to my house. ' _What the fuck?'_ I thought. That was definitely new. Some kind of short range teleportation ability?

' _It's name is Shunpo',_ said _Senbonzakura._

I blinked for a second or two.

' _Alright then'._

I decided to just do what I had been doing ever since I first got my powers, and gave into my instincts. I shunpoed over to an opposing rooftop, only taking a second to rest there before I used the _Shunpo_ to move forward once again, this time alighting on a telephone pole before once again moving forward in a blur.

It was nighttime, and as a result not many people were out and about. After all, who went for a night walk in a city practically ruled over by racist gangs? Even if anyone did happen to see me, I doubted they would see anything outside of a black and white blur.

I kept moving for like this for about an hour, making a zigzag pattern while moving through the docks. I wasn't going to be going downtown, because that was where the wards usually patrolled, as well as being the area where the richer, more privileged people lived. Oddly enough, I hadn't actually come across any sort of crimes. Usually, this part of the city was dominated by the ABB, and all asian gang run by the villain Lung. Fun fact, Lung abilities allow him to get stronger and stronger as fights go on. He also consequently starts to look like a dragon. It was a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine, but I actually thought that Lung's powers was one of the best out there. The man himself was vile, running sex trafficking rings and conscripting any and all asians he could into his gang. But turning into a dragon was seriously fucking cool. It didn't have anything on _Senbonzakura,_ but it was up there on my top 10 list.

I was almost ready to start moving downtown to see if there were any crimes being committed there, but my eyes caught a flash of red and green through a window. I stopped myself before I could _shunpo_ away, halting my fast movement on the dirty roof of a ratty apartment block.

The house that I was observing was oddly large for this area, probably about five stories high. It was equally dirty and run down though, with some of the windows messily boarded over, and a door which looked like it had been messily fixed a few too many times. But if I looked closely, I could see that…

An asian man wearing red and green was standing next to one of the windows, he would have been obscured from view from the road, but my vantage point on the rooftop let me see him. Red and Green were the colours of the ABB, and any asian wearing them was almost certainly with the ABB.

I stood up and prepared to _shunpo_ to the roof of the building when I heard a soft click echo through the silence of the night. I spun around to see a man in a black bodysuit and red and green japanese mask gently tossing a grenade over to me.

My eyes widened as I leapt to the side, skidding painfully along the tarmac surface beneath me to come to rest right at the very edge of the roof. The explosion was blinding to my eyes, and I could feel the heat from the incendiary almost burning from me. I was lucky enough that none of the shrapnel from the grenade hit me, although I could feel a small, undoubtedly razor sharp piece of metal skim over my head a little bit too close for comfort. My vision was suddenly obscured by a black boot, and my eyes shot up to see Oni Lee, the ABB parahuman who had thrown the grenade at me, with a large knife in hand, raising his hand up to apparently thrust it down into my chest. My eyes widened again, but this time from fear more than shock, although I did manage to _shunpo_ over to the other side of the roof. I reached my hand down to my waist and drew _Senbonzakura_ from thin air, the blade leaving behind a flurry of pink petals as it cut through the air, at my side in an instant.

On the other side of the roof, Oni Lee, the sociopathic assassin with cape powers himself, was standing silently, knife in one hand and grenade in the other, intimidating Oni mask leering at me. This man was the second of the ABB's capes, a teleporting sociopath with a killing fetish. Lovely.

I could feel _Senbonzakura's_ hand on my shoulder, his grip ever so slightly tight with worry.

' _Although it rankles to admit it, you will need to unleash my shikai to deal with this man Taylor. Rid all thoughts of holding back from your mind, this is a fight to the death.'_

I breathed in and out deeply in a futile attempt to calm my nerves, then straightened my back and closed my eyes. I held my _Zanpakuto_ in front of me, the blade pointing straight at the sky, and uttered the release phrase of my _Zanpakuto._

"Scatter. _Senbonzakura."_

* * *

 **I apologize deeply for the cliffhanger (not), but you should probably brace yourself for more, they're just so much fun to write.**

 **Hopefully, some people will have seen that Byakuya, or _Senbonzakura_ as he's known in this story is acting a bit out of character. Namely, he's being a bit nicer than usual. I would imagine that this is how he would have acted around Hisana, his wife, before she died. Although I don't plan to put Taylor in a romantic relationship with any of her Zanpakuto, I do plan to make them very close to her. This is why Byakuya was acting so nice, because he cares very deeply about Taylor, even though they haven't known each other for very long.**

 **And to answer Forsaken139's questions, yes, Taylor will have some of the spiritual powers showcased in bleach, like the Shunpo. But I don't plan to give her anything like kido or the hollow mask, namely because she's powerful enough as it is. And as far as Taylor's lethality is concerned, well, that's actually going to be a rather large part of the plot of With Grace and Elegance, somewhat like A Finely Honed Blade (one of my personal favorites).**

 **Thank you for reading.**


	3. Scatter 1-3

**Well. It's official. Fight scenes are** _really_ **hard to right. I hope I did well writing it, and that everyone hoping for an epic Taylor vs. Oni Lee smack down isn't dissapointed. And as a bit of a side note, Jesus hentai Christ I did not expect this story to do this well. It's only 8,000 words long, and mostly exposition and character development, but it has well over a hundred faves and follows? Makes one a very happy author. And keeps me motivated.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach or Worm. They belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

The blade of my sword flaked away, tiny pink specks drifting off to the side. I didn't doubt that Oni Lee would have a seriously hard time seeing them, and that he wouldn't know what they really were until I attacked.

Usually _Senbonzakura's_ shikai would release thousands of little blades, which reflected the light in such a way that they looked like flower petals, Key words there being reflected light. It was, of course, night time which meant that it was dark. There was far, far less light to reflect off the blades, which brought what should be a beautiful display of flower petals into a much more subtle flickering of faint pink lights.

I was equally happy and disappointed in this. It was a large advantage to me, that lack of visibility making my abilities just a bit more potent. What disappointed me was the fact that, well, it just didn't look that good. _Senbonzakura_ was a wonderfully beautiful _Zanpakuto_ , and seeing it without it's usual magnificent splendour felt wrong to me.

Oni Lee shook me out of my thoughts by throwing two grenades at me, the green metal spheres spinning lazily end over end towards me. I, of course, Shunpoed into position behind Oni Lee, reformed my blade with some of _Senbonzakura's_ blades, and thrust my blade towards his shoulder.

He staggered for a second or two, before bursting into white ash, which proceeded to get right into my exposed eyes, obscuring my vision. Very possibly fatal, especially considering the high level of mobility my opponent possessed. I brushed the ash away with my free hand just in time to see More grenades moving through the air towards me. I Shunpoed over to the other side of the roof, just in time to catch the explosions from the first grenades that Oni Lee had thrown.

I barely managed to Shunpo away again to another roof, and I still received slight burns on my left hand for my own complete lack of experience, as well as just being stupid.

My opponent reappeared in front of me again, hugging me tightly with one arm, which seemed odd, at least until he pulled the pin on a grenade still attached to his bandolier. My eyes widened in panic as I tried to push him away from me unsuccessfully for two seconds before using Shunpo to get out of his grasp. He exploded the second I moved away, as I realized that my own complete lack of experience had nearly cost me my life, not once, but twice. And it hadn't even been 30 seconds.

All of a sudden, my hands felt clammy and weak, _Senbonzakura's_ bladeless hilt shuddering ever so slightly in my grip. A sign of weakness that I severely doubted Oni Lee missed. I could feel my fear building within me, as I realized what I was doing. Fighting _Oni fucking Lee_ that's what I was doing. The asian cape that had a confirmed body count well into the hundreds, an utterly terrifying sociopath that had decided to use his own incredible gift to slaughter people remorselessly.

Just as I felt my fear give way to complete terror, I felt _Senbonzakura_. Although he hadn't physically manifested or communicated with me in any real way, he was calm, cool and focused, whereas I, his creator, was scared out of my wits.

' _Stay calm, Taylor. He is just a killing machine that was given a weak gift_ _that he has learnt to use. You, my creator, are far superior to him.'_

I nodded, to both myself and _Senbonzakura._

"Right."

 **(Play OST - Invasion )**

Once more, Oni Lee appeared behind me, this time striking at me with a large knife. I ducked under the high jab and reformed _Senbonzakura_ with it's petals once again, but making sure the length stayed short enough for me to use in combat this close. I thrust the short blade towards his thigh, but he burst into ash as soon as my blade neared his skin. Dammit.

I spun and rose from my lowered position, reforming my blade fully and lashing out with a full length _Senbonzakura_. Oni Lee blocked the basic attack and reached toward his bandolier for another grenade.

I ignored the clone and Shunpoed over to another roof, catching Oni Lee by surprise as I appeared behind him and struck at his shoulder. He burst into ash again, and I Shunpoed again, moving over to another roof to strike again, _Zanpakuto_ meeting knife.

We teleported again and again and again, Oni Lee repeatedly trying to stab me or use his suicide bomber tactic while I chased after him. The world around me became a blur as we started to move faster and faster, blurring over the rooftops at ridiculous speeds as our weapons clashed once, twice, thrice. Our motions were almost dance like as we moved back and forth, the sound of steel clashing together the only thing that penetrated the almost haze-like state of mind I was in.

It was only when I used Shunpo to blur over to a roof inhabited by 4 different Oni Lee clones that I realized falling into a pattern in battle was a very bad idea, especially when trying to beat an experienced combatant at their own game All of the clones had already pulled the pins on their grenades, dashing towards me with suicidal determination.

A plan formed in my mind that instant, and I acted on it before I could really think it through. I dispersed the blade of my _Senbonzakura_ and spun, slashing it through the air in a movement that covered a 360 degree field.

In an elegant swirl of pink lights, all of the Oni Lee clones were thrown backwards by my sakura petals/blades striking their bodies, moving backwards in such a way that they exploded - with such force and heat that I felt uncomfortable even when metres away from the explosions - on all the roofs adjacent to mine own.

I held the hilt of my _Zanpakuto_ close to my body, gathering my petals in such a way that they formed a makeshift dome like shield around my body. I felt shrapnel from the blast hit my petals, concrete and steel raining down from above in the aftermath of the huge explosion.

I dispersed the petals with a swipe of my hand, full sized sakura petals puffing outwards in a gentle burst. They faded into near invisibility once again, the light from the explosion dying away to once again hide my magnificent petals. Not that I was complaining. Much.

A second later, Oni Lee appeared behind me once again, blood and shrapnel decorating his body in an ugly pattern, making him look like a demented piece of art. He had managed to avoid the explosion, but was caught by some shrapnel. Not quite what I was hoping for, but still a good sign. Unfortunatley, It was made apparent to me that this didn't hamper his combat ability much, as he lashed out swiftly with his knife once, twice, aiming for my right hand, the one clenched tightly around _Senbonzakura._

After I dodged two of the blows once again, he pulled an oddly square looking grenade from the bandolier that ran around his waist. He pulled the pin and I shunpoed away, eyes darting around for any sign of the demon. The grenade exploded with a soft whump behind me, and I turned around in surprise at the odd sound just in time to catch what looked like a pitch black void appearing from the grenade. I blinked once in confusion, and then in horror as I was suddenly yanked off my feet towards the singularity.

I reformed _Senbonzakura_ into it's blade form and stabbed it into the roof of the building I was on.

' _He has a grenade that creates a black hole?! What the fuck?!'_

The singularity tugged at my body viciously, yanking me off of _Senbonzakura's_ hilt. I swiped at the purple swathed handle in panic, my left fingertip brushing it, barely enough contact to give me control for a second.

I formed another blade of petals, and stabbed through my left forearm into the cement beneath me. I wailed in agony as blood spurted grotesquely from the wound, my flesh and muscle being slowly parted inch by inch as I was dragged toward the grenade.

I felt the horrendously strong tugging from the grenade halt suddenly and collapsed onto the floor, violently knocking the oxygen from my lungs. I choked silently, the horrifically agonizing pain from my arm and the lack of any form of breath nearly sending me into a panic. A pair of black boots appeared in the corner of my eyes, and I jerked my head to the side, the silver knife sinking into the cement a mere centimetre from my eye.

I flailed my working arm wildly in front of me, grabbing onto _Senbonzakura's_ hilt and Shunpoeing away in a panicked rush. I didn't move far at all, appearing at the other end of the roof building. I stumbled backwards away from Oni Lee, tripped over a hole left from the black hole grenade, and fell on my back again.

The demon appeared above me, red mask leering at me, grabbing my shoulder to stop me from moving and raising a knife above his head. I used shunpo to appear in the air above him, suppressing a scream as my arm flopped around limply in the air.

I grit my teeth through the pain and moved _Senbonzakura_ jaggedly through the air in front of me, the pink specks appearing in a pattern below me that mimicked my swords motion precisely. The clone - because of course it was a bloody clone - burst into white ash.

I landed on my feet, but fell to my knees, exhaustion suddenly striking my body in a wave of weariness. I pushed myself up with my one good arm, then moved my bad arm - I screamed slightly - inside of my shikkahuso, forming a _very_ makeshift sling.

Oni Lee appeared again, in front of me this time, although If I turned my head a bit I could see the other clone he'd placed behind me. There were holes in his costume where the shrapnel had been, bloody gashes taking the place of skin. It only served to make him look more terrifying.

The clones rushed me together with grenades in hand, throwing them at me, then pulling new ones from their bandoliers. I noticed absently that there seemed to be a fair amount of grenades missing from their bandoliers. They could have come loose in the explosion, or he could have used some of his grenades himself instead of a clone, I really couldn't care less about how it happened, what was important was that it had.

I used Shunpo again, but discovered that I couldn't quite go the distance to reach another roof in one jump now, it took me two uses of Shunpo to clear the rooftop. I thrust with my _Zanpakuto,_ making the two clones on the other roof burst into ash after a slight display of pink specks.

I flicked my wrist subtly, directing my petals into a position that would allow me to enact the desperate scheme that had suddenly ran through my head

Oni Lee teleported into place behind me, knife raised.

I flipped the _Zanpakuto_ in my hand around and thrust it backward, allowing the _Senbonzakura_ petals I had hidden within the loose cloth of my haori to lunge backwards in a lightning fast attack.

The pink petals, fully illuminated from the light of the explosion one rooftop across, burst across Oni Lee's face in a deadly line, slicing through the hard wood of his mask and bringing forth spurts of blood and what was probably eye jelly.

He howled in pain, clutching at the right side of his face feebly. I could see what I had done to it through his fingers, a deep, deep groove ran from his nose to his ear, straight through his eye. He didn't have an eye anymore, just a disgusting crater of ruined flesh and fluid where the orb should have been.

I was frozen in place, seeing his wound had set something off that left me completely petrified me. I had done this. I had used a deadly weapon of my own creation to completely destroy Oni Lee's face.

Two parts of me were warring within me. I wanted, _needed,_ to capitalize on the demon's weakness, to strike now, while he was too distracted by his own pain to teleport or fight back. But I was also horrified, if I had sent _Senbonzakura's_ petals a centimetre to the left, they would have pierced straight through his head. _I could have killed him._

While I was stuck in my own horrified state of mind, Oni Lee, or the clone that now stood in front of me, yanked a pin of one of his grenades. I stumbled backwards and Shunpoed away, barely paying the explosion any mind.

Barely paying attention, my gaze scanned the rooftops for any sign of the now one eyed man. I couldn't see him anywhere. He had run off, I guess being wounded that badly would have shocked him enough, especially seeing as he was so unused to being injured.

I sunk to my knees, then fell onto my side. It was only my first night out, and I had fought a deadly battle with a cape who had a kill count high enough that he was sometimes compared to some of the less well known members of the Slaughterhouse nine.

Dear god.

 **(End Ost)**

I was reminded of my own horrific injury suddenly, the burning pain from my arm coming to the forefront of my mind now that I didn't have any sort of foe to face.

I whimpered in agony, but tried to move my damaged arm out of it's makeshift sling anyway, what little I knew about first aid told me that examining a wound was an essential first step.

My minimal knowledge also told me that I really shouldn't be doing this by myself, but it wasn't as I really had a choice right now.

The wound was, frankly, horrifying. It was a long, wide, crimson _hole_ in my arm, pale bone contrasting with the pink-red of my muscle. It ran from midway in my forearm to the bottom of my hand, dripping copper-smelling red liquid.

I started to panic again. I couldn't treat something like this myself, I didn't have anywhere near the experience required for it. I couldn't take it to any doctors or hospitals, as they would force me to explain how I was wounded this badly. I couldn't really go home with it either, as I would be forced to explain it to dad. And that _really_ wouldn't go well, especially seeing as It was only yesterday that I had stayed out so late, sitting with _Senbonzakura._

' _Taylor. Listen to me. I can help you treat the wound, but you need to follow everything I tell you to do perfectly, or you'll just worsen the condition of the wound.'_

I nodded rapidly, then cringed at the pain it brought to my arm.

' _What do you want me to do?'_

' _Tear of the right sleeve of the shikkahuso, wrap it tightly around the wound.'_

After trying to tear off the sleeve off for about a minute, which was impossible when you combined the debilitating pain radiating from my left side and the fact that I was trying to tear of my right sleeve with my right hand.

In a moment of inspiration, I severed the sleeve through careful use of _Senbonzakura_ , then grabbed onto it tightly with my still working hand.

' _Wrap it tightly around your wound. We don't have the time nor materials to clean it right now.'_

He was right about the time aspect of things, I could hear the throaty roar of a motorcycle in the distance, rapidly coming closer. It had to be Armsmaster, he was the only cape in Brockton Bay with a motorcycle that loud.

I had read somewhere that if you were potentially suffering from blood loss, it was best to stay lying down, to try and prevent falling into

unconsciousness. This didn't make my job any easier, and wrapping the cloth around my arm with just one hand was, once again impossible.

' _Senbonzakura, I can't... I can't do it.'_

I could practically feel _Senbonzakura's_ scowl. Whether he was angry at me, Oni Lee or the situation in general, I couldn't tell.

' _Hold the cloth on the wound with your right hand. Tightly.'_ His voice was short and clipped, words curt and to the point. I was well aware that this was simply because he was worried about me, but it irritated me slightly. Couldn't he be just a little bit nicer?

Everything felt a lot quieter all of a sudden. I lay there in confusion, before I realized that the roar of the motorcycle had died down. Which meant that Armsmaster was here. Which was just _wonderful._

Usually, I would have probably would have been feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. This was _the_ Armsmaster after all, one of the most famous heroes out there. As a kid, he had been my second favorite hero, right after Alexandria. Hell, I was pretty sure I had some exclusive Armsmaster underwear hanging around somewhere.

A voice rang out in the quiet night, commanding and authoritative.

"I know you're up there. Get down from the rooftop, I need to have a word with you."

What an ass.

 _Senbonzakura_ manifested, and lifted me up from my position on the rooftop. Although he didn't speak, I knew what he wanted me to do. _Senbonzakura_ is a blade that personifies elegance and nobility. I was wielder and creator, and I had a duty to my _Zanpakuto._ After all, he wouldn't be wielded by just any old human.

I used Shunpo to appear on the road where Armsmaster was standing, appearing with a quiet buzzing sound. I probably looked like complete shit, covered in blood, ash and dirt, missing a sleeve from my shikkahuso, and one arm being obviously badly wounded. But just because I didn't look like a noble, didn't mean I wouldn't act like one.

Armsmaster was stood in front of me, huge tinkertech halberd implanted in the ground in front of him. He didn't even twitch at my sudden appearance. He was a large man, well muscled enough to class as some sort of heavyweight boxer. He was wearing midnight blue power armour with silvery highlights in between the gaps of the armour. He wore a black visored helmet that covered the top half of his face. All that was visible was a neatly trimmed goatee and a hard line of a mouth. In any other place or time, he would have been pretty intimidating. Right now? I just really didn't give a shit.

"I hope you have a good explanation for your little fireworks show." His voice, like his appearance, was deep and intimidating, full of authoritative power and a domineering strength. Once again, I found myself not really giving a shit.

"I was in combat with Oni Lee. As you know, he utilizes grenades in combat." I was a little bit shocked by my own voice. Usually, my voice was quiet and shy, with no real confidence or strength behind it. But now? I sounded a bit like _Senbonzakura_. Confident and full of poise, with a rich voice that displayed that perfectly.

"You're going to have to come with me."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Am I now. Is there a reason behind this, Armsmaster?"

To my disbelief and surprise, his mouth turned down more than it already had, transforming from being carved in stone to being carved into steel with a chisel.

"I can't have a lone hero like you running around at night causing property damage and facing experienced killers like Oni Lee. You'll have to be brought in for questioning at the Protectorate headquarters."

His head moved slightly, and I got the feeling he was examining me, dressing me down as a military commander might to a fresh new recruit. I also got the feeling that it was a very well practiced motion, bred and raised purely to intimidate.

"You also look like a minor. Do your parents know that you're out at night, fighting villains like Oni Lee?"

His head stopped it's up and down motion, stopping so that it was facing me directly. I could feel his gaze from behind his helmet. Stern. Disapproving. And oh so obviously practiced.

"If you join the wards, you could be a hero, stay safe, and not go running around behind your families back."

I chuckled amusedly, shaking my head in a slight back and forth motion. The action felt completely natural to me, even though I had never been this self assured or confident in my life.

"What are you, some kind of second hand salesman?" I narrowed my eyes at him slightly.

"No, I will not be joining the Wards. Nor will I return to the Protectorate with you, Armsmaster." With that said, I turned around and began to walk away slowly, each step measured and even.

An armoured hand descended to impact against my shoulder, and I disguised my wince as he jarred my bad arm by turning my head enough to he could see my irritated expression.

"I'll repeat myself incase you didn't hear, _girl_ , you need to be brought in for questioning."

"Then I'll repeat myself again, seeing as you don't quite seem to understand me..." I shook my shoulder in a quick movement, shaking free of the heroes grasp and jarring my arm painfully in the process.

" _No."_

I resumed my previous walking pace, quiet footsteps echoing out through the completely silent alleyway.

I turned around just in time to see Armsmaster stalking towards me, having gone back to his bike to retrieve bulky looking handcuffs. I looked at him with an expression that managed to perfectly mix distaste, irritation, and above all, elegance.

"You may call me Regalia." I intoned.

I disappeared from the alleyway in a blur of Shunpo.

* * *

 **Hope that was as great as it was to read as it was to write.**

 **My logic behind not giving the fight a real conclusion was this, in canon, Oni Lee booked it when he was shot in the leg. In my story, Taylor littered his body with shrapnel, and took out one of his eyes. If you're wondering why Oni Lee was hanging around that house, it's because the ABB were using the building as a sort of transport factory for drugs, the drugs go to the house, are organized, then sent out to the dealers. Oni Lee was guarding it.**

 **Second thing is Taylor's name. I picked Regalia for a few reasons. Players of Final Fantasy 15 will recognize the name, as will readers of Brandon Sanderson's Firefight novel. It was both a bit of a reference to those two things, but also because it represents what Taylor is going to be as a cape. Alexandria named herself after an ancient lighthouse that is still standing to this very day. Power and strength. Taylor? As the title says, grace, elegance and regality. Also because coming up with cool cape names is, in fact, almost as challenging as Cuphead.**

 **Almost.**

 **Thank you for reading.**


	4. Scatter 1-4

**Another Chapter for those who were waiting. Less action packed compared to Scatter 1.3, but hopefully not boring. If you have any commentary, feedback or just good ol fashioned criticism, please do remember to Review.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach or Worm. Both belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

10 minutes after my confrontation with Armsmaster, I had to admit to myself that I may have been a wee bit too… aggressive. Making an enemy out of one of the most well known capes out there on my first outing as a hero was far, far, far from ideal.

Hell, from his perspective, he had come on the scene to find a lone, heavily injured cape who had just terrified the civilian population and probably caused hundreds of dollars in property damage, and for no obvious reason. For all he knew, I had been completely bullshitting about Oni Lee, and had just been running around blowing things up. Hell, I didn't even confirm that I was a cape. I could have been a new E88 cape on a trial run.

He was still an utter asshole though.

But to get back on track a bit, I was currently using Shunpo to, once again, traverse the rooftops. Except this time, I was bleeding buckets from a giant hole in my arm, which obviously didn't do anything for my concentration or balance.

 _Senbonzakura_ had informed me that I probably had about 15 minutes of high speed movement left before I fell unconscious, even with me applying pressure to the wound with my Shikkahuso sleeve. Thankfully, I had a plan. A pretty bad one, but a Plan nonetheless.

I'm pretty sure that In IT class today I had seen that Panacea, one of the best healing capes to actually exist would be pulling a 24 hour shift to assist with the treatment of the victims from the Cornell University incident. Hopefully, I would be able to catch her in between healings, get my arm fixed, and book it.

Yes, I was well aware that it was a shitty plan, but it was all I had. I sure as hell wouldn't be able to explain away my injury to dad at any rate. Something this big and ugly wouldn't come around by me slipping on some wet ground after all. Dad was gullible, but he sure as hell wasn't stupid.

I could see the neon lights of the hospital now, I finished off my journey with a few quick Shunpo, then stopped my movement on an adjacent rooftop. Readjusting my scarf to make sure that It covered my entire face, I started looking for red and white robes through the windows.

The more and more Panacea-less rooms I saw, the more and more I begun to despair. The corner of my vision were starting to fuzz a little bit in what I assumed where the first signs of unconsciousness. I probably only had ten minutes to get myself healed now, or risk the kind of shit that happened to unconscious girls at night in Brockton Bay.

I was ready to just leave and get back to my house as fast as I could and damn the consequences, when my eyes caught fluttering white robes leaving one of the illuminated rooms. I smiled in a relieved fashion under my scarf. Now all I had to do was convince her to heal me, an injured, bleeding cape who had just made a possible enemy out of Armsmaster. My smile vanished as soon as it had appeared. Why did I think this was a good idea again?

Welp. I couldn't exactly back out now. I stood up, swayed a bit, and used Shunpo to appear in the room that Panacea had just vacated. I was lucky enough that the college student lying on the bed seemed to be asleep, because I was, after all, trying to be kinda stealthy right now. Loud screams were exactly what I didn't need when trying to sneak around a hospital.

I moved as quickly and quietly as I could over to the door, making sure to avoid the empty wooden chairs near the bed and the medical table covered with medical instruments of all shapes and forms. I was lucky to be wearing straw sandals, they barely made any noise on the floor, they slid smoothly over the dull cement surface without complaint. They weren't the most fashionable things out there, but they were pretty damn stealthy.

As far as I could tell from the small window implanted in the door, the hallway was empty. I exhaled lightly in preparation, then used Shunpo to appear outside the door. My eyes darted left and right rapidly, but to my relief there didn't appear to be anyone in the hallway, although I did see the door across from me finish swinging shut. Where Panacea was, presumably.

I walked over to the door and raised my working hand to the doorknob, only to lower it in hesitation. Suddenly barging into the room and demanding healing probably wasn't a good way to introduce myself. I haltingly raised my right hand to the white painted wood of the door, hesitating once again before knocking on the door three times.

"Give me a minute please."

The voice that came from the room was… not quite what I was expecting. Armsmaster had sounded confident and strong, like he could beat the shit out of you without really trying. I had expected Panacea to be a bit like that, but maybe with a kinder, gentler voice. The voice of a doctor who truly cared about their patients. But she just sounded Tired and Irritated. Not like I would have imagined a healer who devotes entire days to healing injured and sick people would sound.

I was shaken out of my thoughts when my vision blurred. I felt drowsy and dizzy, far more than I had just seconds ago. At this rate, I could fall down unconscious at any second. Hating myself a little bit for it, I grabbed the doorknob with my free hand and opened the door and staggered in.

Panacea turned to stare at me. Her brown eyes were narrowed slightly behind her mask and hood, displaying her irritation. They widened in surprise when she saw me, then narrowed again in hostility.

"Who are you?"

I held myself as straight as I could, although I was pretty sure that I was swaying on my feet slightly. The black dots on the edge of my vision were growing slowly but surely, I reckoned I probably had about a minute or two of lucid thought left.

"My name is Regalia." I sounded a hell of a lot less confident than I did when I was facing down Armsmaster. I just sounded tired and weak. "I'm an independent cape, and you were the only person I could think of that might be able to help me."

She looked at the patient she had been treating, a guy with short blonde hair, then took her hand off him and spun to face me.

"Come over here, I'll give you a minute of my time. But I've got other patients to treat, so this is gonna be a rush job."

I just nodded a few times, then stagger-walked over to where she was sitting. She took my wounded left arm in her own, taking off the bloody black fabric I had covered it with carefully before closing her eyes and cocking her head in what I assumed was a sign of concentration.

"How the hell did you get an injury like this?"

"I made a stupid mistake." And I had. I could have shunpoed to a few blocks away from the black hole pretty easily, even though It would have meant leaving _Senbonzakura_ behind. But I had panicked, and drove a blade through my arm to stop my movement. Hell, I might have won the fight against Oni Lee if I hadn't self-injured myself like that. Tonight just kept bringing my own inexperience to light in the worst possible way's.

I felt a mildly uncomfortable tingle in my arm and looked down to see the large, ragged gash that had been there a second ago slowly but surely sealing itself. It was fascinating and ever so slightly revolting to watch, fresh cream coloured skin knitting together while the muscle remade itself underneath.

After maybe 30 seconds, the sword wound had finished closing, leaving an arm that looked exactly as It had before I tore a gaping hole in it. My mouth was wide, because the arm Panacea had just healed felt straight up _better_ than the other one.

What an incredible power.

"I also gave your blood production system a boost too, otherwise you would've blacked out in the street from not having enough blood in your body. "

I looked at the New Wave cape. Panacea was wearing a serious face, eyebrows furrowed and eyes humorless.

"You owe me for this, alright?"

I nodded and smiled from beneath my scarf.

"Thank you Panacea."

She turned back to the blonde college student on the bed without replying, taking the bombing victims hand and closing her eyes once again. Taking that as my sign to leave, I picked up the ragged sleeve of my shikkahuso from the ground and used Shunpo to appear in the room I had entered the Hospital through. I took a brief second to check my arm, which seemed perfectly fine and normal. I had been worried that Shunpo might do something to it, but it seemed like it hadn't. Good. I used Shunpo to appear on the rooftop in a blur of movement, then continued my momentum by Shunpoeing over to perch on top of a lamppost on the side of the road.

I had learned through my high speed run through the docks (god that seemed like so long ago now) that I couldn't use Shunpo to go through walls, so I guess it didn't really count as teleportation. It was more like I accelerated my movement for a very brief moment in time, fast enough that it could look like teleportation.

I let myself fall into the rhythm of Shunpo, step, Shunpo and repeat, happy that I was healed and that Panacea hadn't seemed to offended by me barging in on her.

I thought about how the night had gone in general, and my good mood was instantly ruined. I had fought and drew against Oni Lee, but since I hadn't figured out what was going in the warehouse, I hadn't really accomplished anything by fighting him except taking his eye out. Which would mean the next time I come into contact with Oni Lee, he'll probably be out for my blood. Which was just lovely.

On top of that, I had confronted and been generally agressive with Armsmaster, which was another potentially very bad thing. I didn't want to join the Protectorate, as that meant joining the Wards. Being a group of teenaged superheroes, I didn't doubt that there would be lots and lots of drama. And I _hate_ teenage drama almost as much as I hate Sophia Hess. So I had rejected Armsmasters offer/demand to come with him to the Protectorate. Maybe a bit too violently.

Too put it basically, I had made an enemy of the ABB, one of the most dangerous groups in Brockton Bay, mainly because it was run by a man who could turn into a _fucking dragon._ And while I hadn't exactly made an enemy of the Protectorate, I sure as hell hadn't made any friends with the way I practically insulted Armsmaster.

This put me at odds with two of the three powerhouses of Brockton Bay, and I sure as hell was going to be at odds with the E88 too, so make that three.

Fuck me, right?

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I was back at the ocean. Or more specifically, I was back where I had smelted _Senbonzakura_.

I had just fallen asleep a few seconds ago. After arriving at my house after about an hour of travel, I had immediately shucked my cape outfit and hid it away in the back of my closet in a neatly folded pile, fallen onto my bed in a barely lucid haze and proceeded to almost instantly fall asleep. Which had led me back here, apparently.

The Sea seemed a little bit rougher than It had been, but not by any real noticeable amount. Just enough so that some of the waves lapped a little bit higher up the cliff face than they usually would. The real difference was in the ground and next to the cottage.

Whereas before it had been a barren rocky plateau, now I could see small amounts of greenery poking out from cracks in the ground. The small tufts of grass were barely there, spaced so sparsely that it seemed like someone had tried to add a bit of bright colour to the clifftop, then given up after about a minute once they realized that grass doesn't sprout from hard rock.

But what really, _really,_ stood out to me was the majestic cherry blossom that stood next to the stone forge on the end of the cliff. It was utterly beautiful, with a narrow, gently spiralling trunk leaving into an explosive sensation of pink petals. The tree reached over the stone building, petaled branches reaching out over the roof of the forge in the way a parent might protect a child from a wild, rabid animal.

It brought a smile to my face, that gorgeous tree. It was inexplicable, but looking at it just made me feel… content.

"Beautiful, is it not?"

I didn't jump at _Senbonzakura_ ' _s_ sudden presence beside me. _Senbonzakura_ was a constant presence at my shoulder, an unfaltering pillar for me to lean on whenever I was weak. After all, how could I be surprised by someone's sudden presence next to me, when they were always there?

"It is."

He drew his sword and swung at me in an instant, his blade cleaving through the air much faster than Oni Lee's had done. I stumbled backwards, receiving a cut on the cheek for my slow reaction.

"You came close to death far too many times this night for my liking Taylor. You will come here every night to duel me, until you eventually manage to cut my skin. I forbid you from entering combat with any other capes until then."

I didn't bother arguing with him. I agreed with him completely, and even though not combatting other capes until I could cut him was a rather harsh punishment, he was protecting me the only way he could. By making me stronger.

I reached down and pulled my own copy of _Senbonzakura_ from where it had been implanted in the hard stone beneath my feet. It slid free with unnatural ease, almost as if it wanted to be in my hand, and casually broke the laws of physics to assist me in this duel against itself.

My powers could get pretty trippy sometimes.

 _Senbonzakura_ used Shunpo to appear before me at a speed I couldn't even come close to and thrust his sword straight at my heart.

By the time _Senbonzakura_ allowed me to rest, I had more cut's on my skin than actual skin.

We had been fighting for hours on end, blades clashing together in a cacophony of metal on metal more times that I cared to count. For every time I had blocked one of his masterful blows, the next attack had me receiving a small but painful gash on my skin. It was humbling, to see just how outclassed I was against a master of the blade like him. I didn't doubt that if he had wanted to, he could have easily killed me in the first exchanges of our swords.

But I still couldn't deny that I had learned. By the end of our long sparring session, I already found it easier to duel with him. I could read the movements of his sword arm just a little bit better, dodge a little bit faster, strike a little bit stronger. It was small, but I was making progress.

Still hurt like a bitch though.

My breath came in short, hurried pants, even with me lying on my back. My clothes were heavily ripped and torn, revealing enough skin to be scandalous. In any other situation I would have been blushing up a storm and trying to cover myself, but this was _Senbonzakura,_ my _zanpakuto._ I had nothing to hide from him.

"Your technique is sloppy and wasteful Taylor. Your movements are slow, your strikes telegraphed and your guard is weak."

His voice softened slightly from the harsh monotone he had been addressing my faults with.

"But you have managed to improve in just a few hours, even if only by a minimal amount. Your growth rate is commendable, if nothing else."

I grinned tiredly. "Thanks."

His lips twitched again in what I knew was his heavily subdued version of a fond smile.

"You're welcome."

* * *

I don't know why I'd never really tried it before, but sleeping in Mrs. Williamson's class was one of the best things that had ever happened to me in Winslow. Mrs. Williamson was an elderly biology teacher, the type that just stood at the board all day and gave lectures all class, barely noticing if you were paying attention or not.

I shared the class with Madison, but she generally didn't do much to me in this class, probably just because she was sat all the way on the other side of the class with her lackeys, and they were too busy around messing around on their fancy smartphones to be bothered to deal with me. There were 5 other periods in the day after all, they would be sure to target me through one method or another at some other time of the day.

Last night had been utterly exhausting, and that was discluding my training session with _Senbonzakura_. Although I had technically gotten in about 5 hours of sleep, I had been sparring with _Senbonzakura_ in what I had started to call my inner world all night. Sure, my body had slept, but my mind had been active and working hard. This lead to a very tired Taylor Hebert that just couldn't resist the allure of resting my head on my arms and getting in a good hour of sleep.

I was woken when all of the student's started to rush to get out of the classroom to the cafeteria for break. Even though no one had bothered to wake me (more proof that no one gave a shit about me), I was a light sleeper, and the noises of high schoolers talking in their typically loud voices woke me.

I grabbed my bag and hurried out of the classroom, taking a second to mentally apologize to the poor old woman who taught my class for sleeping when she was teaching, then expending my full attention on trying to avoid the trio.

Just when I was hoping that I could go unpunished for the day and reach the bathroom in peace, I was once again beaten by the classic strategy of putting Emma and Sophia in front of me and Madison behind me. Don't forget to bring extra lackeys! The more people there are, the less chance there is of your completely innocent pray from escaping!

It was playing out more or less exactly the same as it had two days ago. More stupid, pointless commentary from lackeys that I won't even bother trying to list, more mocking grins from Sophia, more sadistic smirks from Emma and more cutesy smiles from Madison.

I was ready to walk out again when Emma grabbed my wrist. I spun my head to face her, neutral expression plastered over my face. Her smirk grew to truly predatory levels then, the pure sadism and cruelty in that smile made me doubt that the old Emma, _my_ Emma, had ever really existed. Or if she had just been completely fake, an illusion create solely for the purpose of performing a betrayal that would ruin Taylor Hebert's life.

"I think ugliness must run in the family. You're hideous and flat-chested, just like your mom was Taylor. If you die, that means that you're genes can't be spread to anyone else. So could you please… well. You know, die?

I couldn't breath for a moment. It was like someone had ripped my lungs out of my ribcage with their bad hands, my chest was so completely oxygenless that it was starting to hurt. Or was the pain in my chest just from emotional hurt? God knows.

I gasped then, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Emma grin triumphantly as her followers giggled vapidly. But I hadn't gasped from what she said.

 _Senbonzakura_ was emanating such unbelievable levels of _wrath,_ that I could feel it actually bleeding into my own emotions, I could feel something, something that I'd never felt before but felt almost cataclysmic building within me. And I knew, I just knew that If I completely released it, If I just _let go,_ then the trio would suffer for everything they had ever done to me. Every jeer, every taunt, they would pay it back. They would pay for

Every.

Single.

 _Word._

I pushed my rage down brutally. Getting angry here wouldn't achieve anything, the school would make it seem like I had just gone completely insane and attacked perfectly innocent students with no provocation. They had, after all, done it with the locker.

But it simmered there, shifting from brutal, senseless wrath into something colder and far, far sharper. A sub-zero fury.

I spun my wrist and clutched Emma's hand in my own, making sure to apply all of my enhanced strength to her hand. I took pleasure feeling the bones in her hand crack silently, knowing that I was finally, _finally,_ paying back a bit of the pain I had received from her.

I stared at Emma, forcing my face into complete and total ice-cold neutrality instead of the furious glare it wanted to be.

"You're pathetic, Barnes."

My voice was a complete void, an emotionless, inflectionless sentence of pure neutrality. I sounded like a god talking down to an ant that had tried to bite it. Dismissive, uncaring and certain of the knowledge that the ant could never, ever, even hope to scratch it's skin.

I imagine it's what _Senbonzakura_ would sound like if he was ever truly angry _._

Emma's eyes were wide with shock, her body stock still and unmoving. It seemed like she couldn't even comprehend what I had just said, like even the _idea_ of meek, scared little Taylor fighting back had never even crossed her mind.

The rest of them were the same. Complete catatonic shock from seeing their weak victim fight back for once. Why hadn't I ever done something like this before? Hell, this was straight up the very _best_ thing that had ever happened to me in Winslow. Ever.

I released Emma's hand and started walking away, keeping my footsteps slow and steady to mask the sudden fear I was facing. That was… Jesus. This wouldn't make my life any easier, no, this would make it far, far worse. The Trio would just crank things up, any respite I had previously would be gone. The torment would be constant and never ending, after all, the only class they actually couldn't touch me in was I.T. Hell, they might even take it to the teaching staff or Principal Blackwood, give it from their own warped perspectives to make sure that I was depicted as the antagonist in the situation. I had just turned a bad situation into a horrible one, all because I couldn't control my temper.

' _I am, and always will, here to support you Taylor. Individuals like the girls behind you can't harm you. You are far, far better than they could even hope to be."_

I smiled, in spite of everything.

' _Thank you, Senbonzakura.'_

* * *

 **There isn't much to comment on in this chapter. I reckoned that Panacea just healing Taylor more or less fit's in with her character, but if you disagree, remember that Panacea was at the time very tired and stressed, and sort of just wanted to get rid of Taylor/Regalia so she could try and finish her job, go home and get some well earned rest. In a slight diversion of topic, a reviewer called Panacea PanPan, and I'm** definitley **going to find a way to incorporate that somehow. Probably with Gin.**

 **And you may be kind of curious about that 'thing' that was rising within Taylor when Emma was being her usual fuckhead self. That's just her hereditary temper (from her dad), nothing really important plot wise, although I may use the Breaking point of her temper to lead into her forging another Zanpakuto.**

 **And give suggestions to whatever Zanpakuto you'd like to see next. I won't choose a zanpakuto that makes absolutely no sense for her to forge, but I am open to suggestions. Keep in mind that Taylor won't be forging all the Zanpakuto out there, it'll just gives me way to many characters to work with, as well as making Taylor a wee bit OP.**

 **Thank you for Reading.**


	5. Scatter 1-5

**Here's another chapter for y'all, once again coming out at 10:00 pm. This is turning into a habit...**

 **This chapter took a bit longer than the others, but that's because it's not only a bit longer than usual, it also has not one, but TWO fight scenes, and oodles more Byakuya/Senbonzakura - Taylor Bonding. Also, I would like to stress that I DO NOT PLAN ON PAIRING BYAKUYA AND TAYLOR. And if anyone was hoping for something like that, well it sucks to be you, doesn't it?**

 **To my eternal surprise, most reviewers seem to want Minazuki (Unohana's zanpakuto) to be created next. This is odd, because, well Minazuki really isn't that interesting a zanpakuto. Sure the bankai is both terrifying and awesome, but it's definitely one of the more ambiguous zanpakuto out there. Benihime was also requested a few times, as well as a handful of other zanpakuto that I'll probably introduce later on in the story. Ah well. Anyone else wants to give there opinion, just send a review. I read em all.**

 **I do advise that you play the Ost at the end. It adds a bit more feeling to the scene, and will hopefully cover up any form of shoddy writing on my part.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach or Worm. They both belong to Tite Kubo and Wilbow respectively.**

* * *

It had been two whole weeks, and I still hadn't managed to even _touch Senbonzakura._

Every night, I had visited my inner world to spar with him. And every night, I was completely and utterly beaten. Every night I would try a new trick, a new tactic, a new fighting style. Hell, at one point, I was so desperate that I _threw_ my sword at him. It wasn't like I was bad at swordplay either, even ignoring the fact that my powers seemed to give me an innate ability to use swords, I had grown quickly into a passable swordswomen. This basically equated to being able to keep up with _Senbonzakura_ without receiving a cut for about half a minute instead of my previous 5 second record. No, I wasn't bad at swordplay at all. _Senbonzakura_ was just that good.

Hell, right now my days and nights were completely taken up with my training. In the daytime hours, I would plan strategies to beat _Senbonzakura_ with. In the nighttime hours, when any normal person would be resting, I was being cut up by my own Sword, who I was pretty sure was hiding the fact that he was actually a huge sadist on the inside. Either that, or he was cold-hearted enough to physically harm the girl who brought him into existence. Knowing _Senbonzakura,_ it was probably the latter.

You may wonder why I was thinking such depressing thoughts. Well, that was because I was currently completely and totally out of ideas. Right now it was looking like I would just have to actually beat him in a duel, skill on skill, and that could very well take _years._

All of this resulted in me walking home from Hell - also known as Winslow High - in a rather downtrodden mood. The Weather wasn't helping much either. It was raining pretty heavily, and I hadn't brought an umbrella. As you could imagine, this turn of events eventually lead to a rather wet looking Taylor Hebert.

I was walking through the financial district of the Docks when I saw them. What looked like a bunch of Merchants (one of Brockton Bay's nastier gangs) preparing to break into a pawn shop.

The street I was walking down was remarkably empty, the only people I could see where what looked like a teenage couple waiting at a rusty looking bus-stop sign. Add in the rain, and visibility was pretty low. This, of course, made it a good time to rob a store. Although, If my guess was correct and these guys were Merchants, then I doubted they had actually planned for these conditions. They were just lucky. Or Unlucky, seeing as they had just been spotted by me.

I stopped walking and examined the situation a bit closer. After all, it would be a _very_ bad thing to mistake some regular shoppers for Merchants trying to steal from a Pawn Shop.

They were all wearing the standard clothes of the Merchants, that is, the ugliest, rattiest, dirtiest street clothes that you could find anywhere. All of them held weapons, around half of them held rusty knives of some sort, the others just held battered looking iron pipes. Definitely Merchants.

Although _Senbonzakura_ had technically forbidden me from combat, he had also said combat with other capes. I was almost completely certain that there were no capes in that group, and even if there were, none of the Merchant capes were particularly dangerous. Nowhere near the level of Oni Lee, who I had managed to - even if only barely - to drive off. I doubted that _Senbonzakura_ would have an issue with it.

Now that I had ascertained that they were, in fact, Merchants, and that I could fight them without a protective sword stopping me, it was time to beat the shit out of some drug addicts.

I rushed into a remarkably convenient alleyway that was nearby, taking shelter from the rain underneath an awning of some sort. My eyes flitted about to check that there was nowhere to catch me transforming into Regalia, then started to strip off my clothes. I stuffed my sweater and t-shirt into my schoolbag, taking a second to fiddle with my shoelaces before giving up and tearing them off with a harsh yank. After I had finished stuffing my jeans into the bag, I rushed over to yet another conveniently placed item, this time a large garbage bin, and hid the bag behind it.

My eyes glanced around the alleyway once more, not only to make sure that my identity was protected, but that no one saw me running around in my underwear, then shuffle walked into the center of my alleyway and stood still. In the middle of an alleyway in the docks, almost naked, in the pouring rain. It's a lot harder than it sounds.

"Senbonzakura?"

' _Be careful Taylor.'_

"I will be."

In a swirl of sakura petals, my cape outfit appeared on my body, the flowing outfit comforting my clammy skin. I tugged the scarf around my neck up to hide my face, checked my outfit once more, the used Shunpo to appear in the middle of the street. The water had gathered into one large puddle there, and my feet were submerged in cold liquid the moment I appeared. It was only a centimetre deep, but still hellishly uncomfortable in my straw sandals.

I strode toward the store purposefully, my hand held by my side in a casual ready position, ready to grasp onto the hilt of _Senbonzakura_ in an instant. The water rippled impressively in my waken, something that undoubtedly would have looked much cooler if the water wasn't already rippling from the heavy rainfall.

"There's a fucking cape out there!" The man who called out was wearing a filthy denim jacket that was more brown than blue, with long greasy hair and bloodshot eyes. He was staring at me through a large hole in the wall. I assumed that it had previously been a large viewing window.

"Then fucking deal with her dumbass!" That voice had come from inside the shop, and was just as uncouth and unpleasant sounding as the man who had seen me.

Two of the Merchants charged at me screaming, spittle flying from their yellow toothed mouths. A third stayed by the broken window, yanking a small gun out of his waistband and pointing it at me, even though his fellow merchants were in the way.

One of the charging merchants, who were now close enough to me to engage in combat, swung his metal pipe at me head in a wild swing. I ducked under the swing with ease, pulling a still sheathed Senbonzakura out of the spiritual world with my right hand while moving forward underneath the druggies outstretched arm. The Sheathed _Zanpakuto_ cleaved through the air with ease, coming into contact with both his calves easily. He cried out in pain as his legs were swept out from under him, his behind meeting the pavement with a painful sounding _crack._ I rose to my full height and brought the sheath of _Senbonzakura_ to the back of his head, which resounded of his head with a thump as he slumped forward into unconsciousness.

The second Merchant lunged at me with his rust covered switchblade. I knocked his wrist aside with _Senbonzakura_ , then continued my momentum and broke his nose with a quick blow to the face. He stumbled backward with one hand grasping his nose, screeching in pain all the while. Darting forward, I struck his stomach, then the back of his head when he doubled over to try and compensate for his sudden lack of breath.

A loud _crack_ ran out through the air. I spun in shock as the water next to me splashed upward in a spray of foam. The Merchant with the gun was aiming at me, although his gun was shaking slightly. Shaking that had probably just saved my life.

I appeared in a blur of movement behind him and knocked him into unconsciousness with a strike to the head. I may have taken just a little bit too much pleasure in the way he crumpled to the ground like a sack of potatoes, but I reckoned that if anyone deserved slightly excessive amounts of pain, it was the Merchants.

The Pawn shop was simple in appearance, with a long counter running along the back of the store and two long glass display cases running down the left and right side of the store. The display cases contained cheap looking jewelry, mostly watches and earrings.

There were 7 more Merchants inside the Pawn shop, 5 of who turned to face me with weapons extended. The other two just continued loading jewelry into a black duffel bag.

I used Shunpo to appear right next to the only Merchant with a gun, putting my hand on his shoulder and Shunpoeing away to the front of the store again. He traveled with me, and I used the pommel of _Senbonzakura_ to strike his temple three times. He went down.

The four remaining combatants started to fan out, nervously licking lips as they tried to attempt to use their rudimentary strategy. I stood completely still, sheathed sword still resting loosely at my side while my eyes moved slowly from gangbanger to gangbanger, making sure to properly intimidate each and every one of them.

The first merchant to break his nerve was the one furthest to my left. He screamed a loud war-cry and run at me, swinging his chain at my stomach. I darted out of the length of the chain, swiftly dashing in as soon as the black merchant had finished his swing to strike at his throat. He dropped to the floor as my blow connected, both hands clutching at his throat in a futile attempt to breath.

The other three charged in all at once, swinging weapons and screaming incoherently in the manner that most Merchants seemed to do.

I moved backward with two quick steps, letting their swings move through the air in front of me. I closed my eyes and concentrated for a second. I had tried this trick on _Senbonzakura_ after he had used it on me, but I hadn't been able to pull it off. But these were skill-less gangbangers, not masters of the sword.

I dissapeared in a blur of Shunpo and appeared behind the three of them, calmly placing the still sheathed _Senbonzakura_ in front of me like you would hold a walking stick. The Merchants behind me all fell over simultaneously, knocked out by three lightning fast blows to the head.

I cheered internally.

The two remaining Merchants were completely frozen. I nearly laughed at the expression of pure shock on their faces, they looked like goldfish gasping for air.

"Well then? Weren't you going to kill me?" My gaze was half lidded, brown eyes calmly glaring down at the stunned Merchants. They were terrified. But not terrified enough apparently, for the merchant on the left screeched at me and drew back his left hand, which was clutched around a handful of silver watches. The watches spun sluggishly through the air, landing around my body in a haphazard pattern.

I raised a solitary eyebrow.

The Merchant who had thrown the watches at me chuckled nervously, shuffling backwards on his behind in a futile attempt to escape me. I took a step forward, only to halt my movement as the Merchant on the right raised his hands in a plea.

"Wait! We were paid to do this by some other cape guy! He said that If we robbed the store today he'd double whatever money we got from the robbery!"

The Merchant who had thrown the watches at me nodded frantically in agreement. "Yeah, I uh, I got this paper with the times for the robbery and shit!"

I held my hand out in front of me expectantly. The Watch thrower nodded rapidly again and then went digging through his pockets nervously, glancing up at me every few seconds in uneasiness.

After a few seconds of searching frenziedly through his pockets, he cried out in triumph as he held a heavily crumpled piece of paper out like a little girl might hold her brand new puppy. I snatched the piece of paper from the criminal's hands and flattened it out as best as I could. Although the paper was crumpled all the way to hell and back, I could make out some horrifically messy penciled writing in the middle of the paper.

14th of April, it read. I glanced back at the two remaining Merchants. "You do realize that it's the 13th of April?"

Watching their faces morph into shock and horror had to have been one of the best things I had seen all day.

"You're… you're shitting me, right? Pulling my leg or some crap, right?"

I shook my head slightly and discarded the paper too the floor. "Imbeciles." A loud splash of water alerted me to the presence of a police van that had just parked in front of the Pawn Shop. A handful of officers leapt out, guns at the ready. In my personal opinion, they were rather late.

The man standing at the front - blonde haired and short - made a movement with his hand, and one of the police in the background moved over to handcuff the two Merchants who were knocked out in the overflowing street. The lead officer suddenly pointed his gun at me, eyes narrowed in concentration. I tensed in shock and shifted my grip on _Senbonzakura_ slightly in preparation for a fight. He pulled the trigger twice in quick succession, tranquilizer darts flying over my shoulders, tagging the two Merchants who had been trying to jump me while my back was turned.

I concealed my shock by planting the bottom my sheathed sword in front of me again, resting both my hands relaxedly over the lavender wrapped hilt. "Thank you officer."

"You're very welcome, miss…"

"Regalia."

He smiled and nodded. His gun slid into the black holster that was slung underneath his arm with a soft click, and I in turn let _Senbonzakura_ disperse into gently fluttering sakura petals. Unsure of what to do with my hands now that I was out of battle and I didn't have a convenient sword to place them on, I let them hang by my sides, although I was careful to avoid any form of fidgeting.

"If you don't mind we'll take it from here Miss Regalia." He turned and made another hand gesture to his subordinates, in return to which they jogged around me and picked up the unconscious Merchants. I observed them move the Merchants into the van for a few seconds, then returned my gaze to the police officer.

He was smiling at me, although I had the feeling that it was fake. I wasn't socially competent in any way, shape or form, but I reckoned it was pretty easy to tell that he was just smiling to put me at ease. After all, making supposed first contact with a new cape would probably involve lot's and lot's of paperwork.

"You seem rather young to be going it by yourself Miss Regalia. You might want to think about joining the Wards. Especially seeing as Brockton Bay some of the most dangerous capes out there, individuals who wouldn't hesitate for a second to kill an inexperienced cape like yourself."

"I thank you for the offer." I dissapeared in a blur of Shunpo to a nearby rooftop, from where I flashed by the alleyway I had stored my stuff in, grabbed my backpack, and Shunpoed back out to the rooftop's. I started to Shunpo back to my home absentmindedly, not really focusing on speed or accuracy and letting my subconscious guide my movements.

The Merchants that I had just taken out had been paid by a mysterious benefactor to raid that specific store on April 14. They fucked it up, because, you know, they're Merchants, but the point remained. But if my path of thinking was correct, then the place wasn't what mattered here, but the time.

The mysterious benefactor obviously couldn't have cared too much about actually getting what was in the store itself, or he/she wouldn't have hired Merchants to do the job. But the fact that he/she had specified a date for the attack meant that he had something that he/she wanted something done on April 14th. This in itself was rather vague, and didn't give me much to work on, except for a couple of things.

The first was that whoever this benefactor was, they were pretty well funded, seeing as they had promised to double whatever money the Merchants got from the robbery. They could have been lying, and were just planning to kill the Merchants after they committed the robbery, but they still would've had too at least convince the Merchants that they could back up their deal with a bit off showing off.

The second thing for me to work with was, obviously, the date. If I assumed that this incident was cape related, then it was a possibility that some form of cape battle could break out tomorrow. And if I wanted to at least _try_ and stop whatever this Benefactor was planning for tomorrow, then that meant that I had to do two things.

I had to find a way out of school, ideally without simply ditching, I couldn't imagine it being that hard to narrow down my secret identity if whoever was trying to reveal me just looked for students with distinctive hair like mine who had been absent from school that day. Not a particularly hard thing to do, but still something to think on.

The second thing I had to do to make sure I was ready for whatever was going down tomorrow is get permission from _Senbonzakura_ to enter combat with villains. Which basically translated to beating him in a fight.

Goddamit.

* * *

My Inner world looked like it always did. A slate grey, rocky cliff-face with the slightest amounts of spring-green grass sprouting from it, a mildly turbulent ocean, the horizon of which extended on forever, and a small stone forge that was sheltered from the sky by a stunning japanese sakura tree.

"Do you really think that a novice swordfighter like yourself could beat a master of the blade like myself, Taylor?"

 _Senbonzakura_ had this rather odd habit of starting out our nighttime spars with talk. He would, in his standard calm monotone, explain to me why it was completely pointless to fight him, that I couldn't ever hope to match up to him. I usually just stayed quiet for this bit, but today, a day where I really, _really,_ wanted to win, I just couldn't help myself.

"You really think so little of me _Senbonzakura?_ I gave birth to you, and this is what I receive in return? Children can be so rude sometimes…" I shook my head ruefully, hiding my smirk with the side to side movement. I saw his eyebrow twitch every so slightly in irritation, and had to refrain from releasing a little giggle.

"Prepare yourself, _mother."_ I blinked in shock, because it sounded like my no-nonsense sword had just made a _joke,_ but leapt backwards when he appeared in front of me and thrust his blade toward my throat.

His lunge came short just centimetres from my throat, but I dispelled my shock, fright and small amount of fear so I could feel only one emotion.

Unbreakable determination.

I attacked with an overhead strike which he blocked easily, Shunpoed above his head, spun in the air and swung my sword downwards at his head.

His blade flitted upwards to block my unorthodox strike in an almost lazy motion. I shunpoed again, standing behind him this time, and struck at his thighs with my own _Senbonzakura_. He spun and parried at the same time, the momentum of his blow knocking my sword arm away from my body. I jerked my body to the side but still received a small cut over my lip from his lightning fast uppercut strike.

He flowed into attack after attack, his blade a masterfully controlled whirlwind of silver steel that spiralled around his body. He struck again and again and again, each swift blow barely blocked by my own blade, which moved unbelievably sluggishly when compared to his. I was moving backward slowly but surely toward the sheer drop behind me, the end of the clifftop that we were dueling on.

I couldn't attempt to Shunpo, his blows were far too fast paced for it. The second I took my attention away from him, he would strike mercilessly. I couldn't fight him off either, his attacks were both too swift and too skilled for me too even attempt to push him back. Any way you looked at it, I was practically destined to lose.

That was, of course, discounting the blade that I held in my hand.

I grasped _Senbonzakura's_ hilt with two hands and put as much strength as I could into my next parry. _Senbonzakura's_ blade rebounded off my own slightly, and I took the opportunity to dive backwards towards the clifftop. I received a long gash on my shoulder from my opponents lightning fast blade as a payment, but the fact remained that I had given myself about half a second, even though just one more step backward would end up with me tumbling off the cliff.

"Shatter, _Senbonzakura."_ My blade dispersed into pink petals, and immediately after I thrust my blade forward in a standard lunge, the motion reflected in the thousands of tiny light reflecting blades that now littered the air. _Senbonzakura_ shunpoed away from the attack, appearing a few metres away from me just out of the range of my attack. I followed suit and used Shunpo to appear right in front of my forge, about 15 metres away from my opponent.

My brows furrowed in concentration as I gathered my focus, then swung the bladeless hilt of the _Senbonzakura_ in my hand. The sakura petal blades blanketed the whole area in an attack, not dissimilar to a small snowstorm. My opponent disappeared from my view, obscured by the petals as he was. He appeared in front of me suddenly, blade already falling towards me.

I two-stepped backwards into the forge, the blow coming close enough to me to shave off a few threads of my snow white scarf. _Senbonzakura_ moved to the side just in time to avoid a stream of sakura petals that quickly flowed onto my hilt to from a _wakizashi_ sized blade.

I dashed forward and drove my shorter blade towards his stomach in a savage attack that lacked my usual grace. He bent his body around my strike and grabbed my wrist, pulling me in close to bring his knee into my stomach. I caught the blow with my free hand, driving my head forward in a headbutt simultaneously.

The move took him by surprise, apparently, because he staggered backwards a single step, blinking his eyes to rid them off the tears that naturally came when your nose was struck. I capitalized on his momentary weakness with a lengthened _Senbonzakura_ and a powerful swing aimed at his head. I wasn't quick enough and my strike was blocked, although I noted that the blow did come close to making contact with his skin.

I had only just noticed that the forge hadn't grown on the inside like it had when I created my first _Zanpakuto_ , instead staying as an open gazebo like stone structure with an open floor, about the size of my bedroom. It was also important to note that If I stepped out of the forge that I would fall directly into the ocean, seeing as the forge hugged the very end of the cliff.

My attention was forcefully torn from my surroundings by _Senbonzakura's_ sword tip, the silvery point a few centimetres away from my face. I let out an unflattering yelp as I ducked under the thrust and then moved backwards away from my merciless foe _._

Flipping _Senbonzakura_ around in my hand so the tip of the blade was pointed to the floor. I thrust the blade downward, which brought all the sakura petals I had been gathering outside the forge through the open windows in vaguely spearlike shapes, the blades piercing through a white haori.

I gaped in open shock. ' _What the he-_ '

My instincts screamed at me and I threw myself to the ground, losing some hair to _Senbonzakura's_ blur of a sword for my absent mindedness. My eyes flew behind me to catch a glimpse of my sword spirit. He was now haori-less, wearing just his shihakusho and scarf.

And then an idea flew threw my head that was so unreservedly insane that It was perfect.

Staying low to the ground, I lunged at him, wrapping my arms around his midsection in a messy rugby like tackle. I charged forward, legs pumping against the stone ground loudly, pushing _Senbonzakura_ towards the side of the forge that led into open ocean.

I screamed in agony as I felt a blade pierce straight through my shoulder, but I kept going anyway, clenching my teeth to ignore the pain. I could feel the blood gushing down my body in rivers, the warm, slightly sticky liquid inherently vile to my sense of touch. But I ignored that too, and just focused on my sandaled feet hitting the ground beneath me.

I felt _Senbonzakura_ clip one of the pillars of the forge, and then we were falling, tumbling through the sky towards the waters below. I clenched my eyes shut, hoping and praying that my theory was correct. The wind made my hair flutter about my head in a mane like fashion, the dark curls bouncing to and fro rapidly on my head.

 _Senbonzakura_ grabbed onto the back of my haori with one hand and put his hand underneath my legs with the other. We stopped moving suddenly, and I opened my eyes to see _Senbonzakura_ staring down at me. But the corner of his mouth was upturned slightly, and the pride he felt was almost palpable to me.

"Well done Taylor."

My smile was exhausted and weary, but content all the same. I let my head drop into a comfortable position, which entailed in me using his shoulder as a pillow. We were standing on thin air, the water below us frothing gently. He used Shunpo to appear on the clifftop in a blur, standing underneath the sakura tree and looking out over the ocean.

 **(Play My Hero Academia Ost - You can become a hero)**

"Our fights were never about winning or losing. They were about your growth, your skill, your strength. But they weren't just about your power. No, what I was truly looking for…" He looked down at me and smiled. "Was your will to fight. And you showed that in the truest way possible, you risked your own life in a foolhardy scheme that wouldn't have worked in any other situation. You haven't gained my approval because you managed to push me off a cliff. You have gained my approval to fight, not with your bodies power,"But with your mind's. You are powerful. You are strong. And most of all..." He looked at me with the sort of wonderful happiness that you can never really find in the real world. "You are my creator."

The ocean's water stopped frothing and swaying beneath us. Now, it was an almost motionless expanse of cobalt blue liquid, a truly calm vista. I turned my head to look over _Senbonzakura's_ shoulder, and watched the grass sprout from the rocks, watched the stunning emerald blades of grass encroach over the dull gray rock. Once the grass had finished sprouting, half of the previously dull cliff-face was bedaubed with life.

I let my head rest on _Senbonzakura's_ shoulder once again, and gazed out across the never-ending horizon.

* * *

 **Well then. A few explanations are, as always, in order. (Warning - this section below is a wee bit spoilery)**

 **The first potential plot-hole is the fact that Coil, a paranoid bastard, would hire guys like the Merchants to do his dirty work. But whenever they mention the Undersider's bank robbery, they talk about a bunch of other crimes that happened at the same time, but never in great detail. This implies that they really weren't that big a deal, and that the real distraction on Coil's part was the Undersiders. Hiring other guys to rob stuff is really just a contingency for him, at least in my opinion. Also, I needed a way to get Taylor in on the back action, in part so she can repay Panacea and deepen their relationship a bit, and also just because I need more stuff to write about before I give Taylor her next OP zanpakuto.**

 **One reviewer asked why I seemed to be kinda worried about not making Taylor too op, when the Bleachverse has completely different power levels to the Wormverse. It's not that she won't be OP, it's in the description after all, but I want to do it slowly, to at least get a few more even fights in before Taylor just starts trashing everyone with Zangetsu or Ryuujinjakka.**

 **More reviewers asked about Kido, and that's gonna work like this; Aizen uses kurohitsugi a lot, so if Taylor was using Kyoka Suigetsu, then I met give her the ability to use kurohistugi. But she won't be learning them all to throw around willy nilly as she please, because that would just be plain old boring.**

 **Thank you for reading.**


	6. Scatter 1-6

**And here's another chapter for my 300-something viewers. Hope y'all like it.**

 **Minazuki is still probably the most popular Zanpakuto for Taylor to forge, although I don't guarantee that I'll forge Minazuki Next. But keep in mind that You only have this chapter and one interlude to give you opinion, because the next arc - with a new Zanpakuto - will be starting soon. And to those asking for Hyonimaru or Ryujjinjakka, they'll come eventually. But I'm not giving Taylor any of the heavy hitter's straight away. Saving those ones for the Endbringer fights.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach or Worm. Both belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

It seemed like I could, in fact, get self conscious while utilizing my cape persona. Who would've guessed it?

Right now, I was standing on a downtown rooftop in broad daylight, and there's nothing that quite attracts people than a potential new cape. The only thing quite as magnetic is when a _really_ well known hero shows up, like Alexandria or Myrddin. You see, a new, unconfirmed cape is kinda like getting a reboot of an old movie series you love. It probably won't be anywhere near as good as the original, but it's new and fresh and _exciting._ For the people who witness a new cape, it's their chance for a minute of fame, everyone starts to listen to what they think all of a sudden, because they actually _saw_ this cool new hero with their own eyes, and not from some incredibly shaky camera feed posted on the Parahumans Online forums.

But even though I understood why they were doing it, it didn't make it any less annoying and embarrassing that people were _still, stopping, and, staring._

You know those tech stores which always have a bunch of large flat screen T.V.'s in the front window that show the Daily News from a bunch of different channels? Well, while I was finally getting some sleep after about two weeks of fighting losing battles, I had the bright Idea that I'd hang around one of those in my cape outfit so that I could react to whatever was going down as quickly as possible. After all, if the cape fight was happening down in the Commercial District or somewhere around there, it could take me well over an hour to reach it, and by then the fight would be over.

It was a far better plan on paper than in reality. I had managed to completely forget about two things. The first was the fact that sitting on a roof for hours with nothing to do but try and watch the news from a dozen metres away was, believe it or not, boring. It was only thanks to the constitution that _Senbonzakura_ gave me that I was still here at all. Otherwise, I probably would have just gone patrolling around the city, just so I could do _something_ to stave off the boredom.

The second thing that had completely slipped my mind was the people. Like I said, a brand new cape in an oddly decent looking outfit - I'm an independent after all, who have the unfortunate reputation of consistently having shitty costumes - but who hasn't yet to be claimed by any of Brockton Bay's groups is very interesting, especially for the cape nuts.

There were consistently a crowd of people on the street below me who would just stand there and stare at me in either curiosity, wonder or suspicion, and even more who just stood there video-taping me with their phones. They apparently didn't have anything better to do with their days than stare at me, too shy or intimidated to try and communicate with me, yet not polite or just generally good-mannered enough to not stare at someone for minutes straight.

I wasn't used to attention like this. _At all._ I was used to fading away into the background, being just another boring face in the masses. Being _noticed_ like this got to me in a weird way, I didn't know what to do with their attention. Even though I was pretty sure _Senbonzakura_ boosted my confidence and self-assuredness when I was using any of it's abilities, it still wasn't enough to just brush off years and years of hiding away in the crowds.

I had decided to just stay as I was, sitting cross legged on the lip of the uncomfortable stone rooftop, gazing down at the storefront impassively. I probably looked impressive and stoic, but I sure as hell didn't feel it.

My eyes and thoughts were dragged back to the television screens when they all flickered to the same channel, displaying an excited looking hispanic media woman and the Brockton Bay Central Bank. The caption below read; "Villain Attack on Brockton Bay Bank", while the screen showed a reporter and an outside view of the bank, with almost all of the Wards gathered around it in various ready stances.

Well then. That was probably my big cape battle right there, seeing as they had the majority of The Wards gathered around it. I stood up quickly, evoking some suprised exclamations from the crowd below, then used Shunpo to start my rapid dash to the bank. Luckily enough for me, the bank that had been mentioned was close, around 10 minutes of Shunpo travel away. Maybe 5 minutes, if I really pushed it.

I smiled anticipatorily underneath my scarf.

Time to fight some villains.

* * *

I arrived on the scene just in time to see Clockblocker bouncing across the pavement like some kind of demented bouncy ball.

Clockblocker was a Ward who dressed in a costume that was completely white, with light armour on the torso, arms and legs of the costume, as well as various moving clock faces on armour pieces in a light gray. The scene was weird, because, well, Clockblockers abilities revolved around stopping time with physical contact. Even if he was struck in the face, he should have been able to freeze whatever hit him regardless of his own injuries.

I shook myself out of contemplation quickly, getting distracted in battle had already nearly gotten me killed on numerous occasions, and I wasn't going to fall back into the habit once again.

As I had observed before all the Wards were gathered in front of the bank with the exception of Shadow Stalker, although there was a chance that she was just hiding away, I'm pretty sure she had Stranger powers. Vista, Gallant and Kid Win were standing at the back of the formation, undoubtedly so they could utilize their range based powers to greater effect. Clockblocker was currently skidding to a stop on the hard tarmac, while Aegis seemed to have been enveloped by a cloud of… darkness? Shadow? Something along those lines.

The only villain I could actually see was a heavyset girl with a cheap, hard plastic dog mask over her face. But what really drew my eye to her was what she was riding, what looked like some terrifying, fleshy lovecraftian horror that may have once resembled a dog. There were two other similar looking monstrosities, but those were chasing down Clockblocker as he slowed to a stop, their vicious claws tearing holes in the pavement wherever they landed.

I hesitated for a few seconds, then Shunpoed down to where Clockblocker was lying on the ground, vacating the lamppost I had been observing the battle from. I appeared in front of the downed Clockblocker in a movement faster than the eye could see, _Senbonzakura_ held casually to one side. The two dog-monsters barely seemed to take notice of me, continuing their feral charge towards me.

One of the dog's turned out to be slightly faster than the other, pulling ahead of the other dog with an explosive effort. Crouching slightly, I lifted _Senbonzakura_ slightly, I needed to be swift and balanced if I wanted to pull off the move that I had planned.

I waited until the first dog was a scant metre in front of me, then spun to the side of the charge, pure white haori and scarf billowing out around my body dramatically. I struck twice in quick succession, the razor sharp edge of my _Zanpakuto_ cleaving through thick muscle and skin to reach the bone on both the front and back leg. The beast toppled, lacking the support needed for its colossal weight with two of it's legs made useless by my actions.

I completed my spin to face Clockblocker once again, ready to shunpo in to protect him, only to see him fly straight into the second dogs head with a fist extended, successfully stopping the dog's forward momentum even as I heard the Wards arm break with a jarring crack. My mind moved quickly, the only Ward that possessed true flight powers and the ability to break his arm like that was Aegis, which meant that Aegis and Clockblocker had probably decided to swap costumes, for whatever reason.

A long, bone white object flashed into view in my peripheral vision, prompting me to duck under a tail swipe from the dog I had injured, the shockingly long, prehensile tale. I tried to lop off the end of the tail with _Senbonzakura,_ but my sword clattered along the solid bone ineffectively. I shunpoed to position directly above my beastly opponent, clutching the thick fur at the back of it's head and wrapping my knees around it's wide sides as tightly as I could.

It's tail struck at me once again in a savage jab, but I slammed my body flat against the monstrosities bony back, the impact hurting my ribcage slightly from both my own speed and the spines of the dog. The tail struck at me again, coming close enough to my head to clip off some of the black mane of hair that adorned my back. Reversing my grip on _Senbonzakura,_ I raised the lavender hilted sword and thrust it into the dog's shoulder, careful to avoid anything that could be lethal. I didn't know how the PRT would react to me killing something, even if it was a villains dog and not a human.

The creature snarled in pain, shaking it's back in a sudden motion that through me off it's spine to tumble across the pavement. I ignored the pain that lanced through my arm and rolled backwards into a slightly clumsy three point stance, my body as low down to the ground as it could be without me actually lying down. _Senbonzakura_ was coated in bright red blood.

The beast in front of me had large, gaping wounds in two of it's legs and an actual hole in it's shoulder, but it still roared at me with just as much strength as it had when it was charging me. It wasn't a pained roar, no, it was pure _wrath_ embodied in a monstrous form. I felt my throat bob slightly with nerves, Oni Lee had been a hell of a lot scarier, but not quite as physically intimidating.

I was preparing to utilize my Shikai when the Aegis-dressed-like-Clockblocker suddenly flew by over our heads, releasing the beast he had been in combat with as he did so, timing the release so perfectly that our two opponents collided with each other, the momentum sending them flying into an office building near us in a flurry of spiked limbs.

He drifted down until he was hovering next to me, blood staining his previously pure white costume with red streaks.

"Hero or Villain?"

I met his eyes with a droll look. "Take a guess."

He chuckled good-naturedly. "Fair enough."

A snarl of rage echoed out behind us, prompting us to turn around simultaneously. The dog masked villain was riding one of her vaguely dog-like monstrosities towards Vista lying flat against it's back to avoid Gallant's emotion blasts and Kid Win's tinker-tech bullets. I brought _Senbonzakura's_ pure white sheath from the spirit world, sheathed my blade, then used Shunpo to appear directly in front of the stampeding villain with my sheathed sword extended.

It bounced off her shoulder, throwing her balance off enough that she went tumbling of her mount. At the same time, Vista had raised the ground beneath the beast, throwing it forward into a sprawling roll. I landed on the ground gently, turning to face the two wards just in time to be hit by one of Gallant's emotion blasts.

A foreign rage passed through my body, a burning, unquenchable heat that went surged through my veins in an unsteady rush. I practically _snarled,_ the un-familiar anger clouding my mind. I glared at the silver armoured ward venomously for a second, the foreign anger still undying, then Shunpoed in front of the villain, unsheathed _Senbonzakura_ and cut her down with a jerking, unsteady movement that felt as unnatural as it looked, a spurt of blood staining my haori from the diagonal gash that now ran down the villain's chest.

I glowered down at her shaking body for a moment in undying anger, then staggered backwards as Gallant's hold on me fled. That fury that I had felt… that hadn't been mine. That had been someone else's powers, messing with my head. But as much as I tried to tell myself that, it didn't change the fact that I had just remorselessly opened a hole in my opponent.

I clutched a hand in my hair, grasping at it tightly to try and give me balance, to give me something to hold onto to distract me from the fact that I might have just _killed someone_.

An echoing crash rang out from beside me, and I snapped my head to the side to see a cracked section of concrete that had somehow been _bent,_ to face upwards, like a child playing with clay. Vista's powers. And then the monster came over the top, bellowing it's wrath with low pitched growls that vibrated the air.

I flickered in a blur of Shunpo, appearing next to the Wards in a displacement of air. Gallant was by my side in a flash, supporting me with a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm really, really sorry about that. I just, I can't stop my blasts when they've been shot, and you were standing in the way and-"

"Not now." I replied to his panicked voice with what I hoped was a moderately strong voice, even though I didn't feel any form of strength at all. Hell, I was struggling to hold _Senbonzakura_ properly, the hilt slipping in my sweat streaked hand.

The darkness had enveloped the fallen villain and the dog, it was a scant few metres away from us now, a roiling, impenetrable inky blackness. It moves forward with a sudden movement, but we are blocks away from it in an equally sudden movement that makes my eyes hurt.

I glanced at Vista, a slight girl in a green and white costume who possesses the ability to warp space. She didn't seem that flustered by the brutal act I had committed (under influence, I reminded myself), but I was pretty sure she was the most experienced Ward, even though she was the youngest. She had been the one who had protected me from the surprise attack of the beast. I'd have to thank her for it if I could, outside of battle.

"Glory Girl's still waiting on the roof. I'm calling her in. We'll stay out here, try and take them out when they make a break for it." Aegis, still in Clock Blockers costume, was floating softly to my right. He turned his head to me, I could feel his eyes on mine, even through the opaque white helmet he was wearing. "You can teleport, right?"

I nodded slowly, uncertain of where this was going.

"You think you can get directly into the bank, help Glory Girl out?"

"Probably."

"Then do that, please."

Flicking the blood off _Senbonzakura's_ blade with a quick hand motion, I then re-sheathed the blade with a soft click and stepped forward. I flickered and vanished, swiftly appearing on the stairs of the bank, which were, unfortunately, enshrouded with shadow. My leg shuddered suddenly, dropping me to one knee. A black gloved hand clenched over my shoulder tightly, flinging me down the steps.

My body pitched down the stairs in a heady roll, losing my grip on _Senbonzakura_ as my body collided with cement step after cement step. I raised myself to my hands and knees as soon as I stopped moving, the completely black world still somehow managing to look unsteady and blurry in the wake of my tumble.

I stood up just in time to receive a fist to the face, the leather cloaked fist almost invisible in the mist. Staggering backwards in an unsteady motion, I called _Senbonzakura_ to my hand and thrust forward with the sheathed blade without looking. Luck was on my side in this instant, I felt the firm sheath collide with whoever had been hitting me.

Releasing _Senbonzakura_ then and there would be the ideal solution to my villain problem, but without visibility I could easily kill my opponent with just a single misplaced attack. Instead, I grabbed _Senbonzakura_ with both hands and attacked with the most forceful blow I could muster. Luck was on my side once again, the mighty attack struck my attacker. I brought _Senbonzakura_ into a two handed, defensive position as soon as the momentum of my swing was through, my eyes flitting about through the fog, even though my sight had so far been proven to be ineffective in the darkness.

I felt a miniscule shift in the air behind me and ducked down, small movements in the pitch black telling me of the fist I had somehow dodged. Flipping my grip on _Senbonzakura,_ I thrust backwards, this time connecting with nothing but air and shadow. I spun in a circle, extending my sheathed blade out in the hope that I would catch my attacker by surprise. Once again, I hit nothing.

An elbow collided with my back, throwing me forwards. A hand grabbed the back of my haori, pulling me backwards and flipping my world end over end. As I was sprawled out on the pavement, I realised that I had just been flipped onto my back with a single hand. Was I really that skinny? Whoever I had been fighting straddled me suddenly, pinning me to the uneven road. A fist collided with my covered face, throwing my head to the side. My opponent didn't stop there, raining fists down in a relentless assault that speckled my vision with white spots.

My body was taken over by instinct suddenly, like It had been when I first forged _Senbonzakura_ or when I had used Shunpo. I pressed one of my fingers on the right side of his stomach, and felt words rise unbidden to my throat.

"Hado 4 - _Byakurai"_

A brilliant white lightning bolt ejected from my extended finger, so bright that it briefly illuminated the previously impenetrable black to reveal my attacked, a villain dressed in motorcycle leathers and helmet, with a white skull engraved on the faceplate of the makeshift mask. He flew backwards, smoke emanating from the hole in his side.

I stayed where I was for a few seconds, my vision swimming so badly that I barely noticed the darkness dissipating. The wards were standing next to me suddenly, probably by utilizing Vista's powers. Aegis crouched down and helped me up, propping a hand under my shoulder to raise me up. Once I was standing and my vision had stopped spinning, I nodded my thanks to him, then gently brushed his hand off my shoulder. He was dripping blood all over my Haori.

The guy who I had just lightning-bolted had raised himself up from where he had been lying on the bank's stairs, one hand wrapped around the bloody wound I had inflicted upon him. I flinched in guilt, although It had been just as instinctual as Shunpo was at first, my attack had still pierced straight through him. It probably hurt just as much as my own Oni Lee induced injury had.

There was another villain standing next to him, dressed in a baggy white shirt and knee high leather boots, a porcelain mask that looked like it had came out of the renaissance and a solid looking gold scepter completing his look. He was spinning the golden pole in an almost lackadaisical manner, although his free hand was raised ever so slightly. He was probably the reason behind my leg suddenly giving up on me when I was standing on the stairwell.

The wooden doors that had made up the entrance of the bank swung upon suddenly, releasing a stream of crying civilians and another cape with a hostage. The cape herself was wearing a purple and black skintight suit with a domino mask, her blonde hair hanging over her shoulder in a tight braid. She was holding a gun to her captive's head with one hand, the other clasped tightly around the hostages neck.

The purple costumed cape turned slightly, enough to display the gun that was held to the captives head to the inside of the bank. "Get out here Glory Hole."

A beautiful teen in a white dress and cape flew out of the bank suddenly, face contorted into a furious snarl as she glared at the blonde haired villain coming to a stop in the air once she was floating by us.

Echoing growls rang out behind us, I turned my head to see the dog themed villain and her three dogs, the girl herself leaning on one of the beasts for support. She held a hand to her chest over her vicious gash, but her dogs seemed perfectly fine now, even though I had definitely put them out of the action myself. The wounds were still there, but they didn't seem to hamper the creatures at all, they were all crouched low down to the ground in positions that highlighted their scary features.

"Well!" The villain with the hostage spoke up. "This is the situation the way I see it. I have in my arms the famous Amy Dallon, or as she is better known, Panacea."

I swore quietly. I thought I had recognized the teen's face, but if it was Panacea, who was probably the best healing cape out there, this entire situation just became a _hell_ of a lot more complicated.

"Although you injured both Bitch and Grue, they can both use their powers without moving much, so that doesn't change our position much. Kid Win, Gallant and Clockblocker aren't particularly useful in this situation, and Vista can only slow us down. But Glory Girl, Aegis and-" she examined me for a second. "Regalia can most definitely cause problems for us." She grinned in a predatory fashion, the tilt to her lips almost reminding me of some sort of vulpine creature. "But none of you are gonna risk hurting Panacea, which puts us on top. Unless you-" she nodded at me "can move fast enough to get her out of my arm's before I pull the trigger. Which you can't. Your little trick isn't teleportation, you just move really, _really_ fast."

She was a thinker then. She wasn't a mind-reader or anything like that, because then she would probably know about _Senbonzakura's_ shikai. But she definitely had some sort of ability that gave her more information about her surroundings than usual.

Good.

She kept talking. "So let's work a little something out, hm? You heroes get out of our way, let us get on Bitches dog's, then I'll let Panacea go. Free of Charge."

I drew _Senbonzakura_ and held it close to my face, blade facing the sky. I grinned underneath my scarf. "Scatter, _Senbonzakura."_ The blade flaked away into thousands of glittering cherry blossom petals, the tiny blades dispersing into the air but staying visible, surrounding our two groups with a gracefully swirling expanse of pink.

The purple costumed villains widened in shock and a bit of a horror, and I admit that I may have taken a little bit too much pleasure in her expression, even though my face was still impassive on the outside.

The sceptre bearing villain scoffed, his head shaking in derision. "Flower petals? Really?"

"Shut _up_ , Regent. Those aren't flower petals." The Thinker grinned down at me once again, but it had lost some of it's previous confidence, now it was tinged with a hint of nerves.

She continued. "Each and every one of these flower petals are actually blades, right? You control them with your sword hilt." Her head turned slightly, enough for me to know that she was directly warning her teammates as she spoke. "We're standing in a kill zone, all she's got to do is flick her wrist, and all of a sudden you're wondering why there's a hole in your chest."

I didn't really like how she was describing _Senbonzakura,_ particularly how lethal she was making it out to be, but there were more important things to worry about right now.

"You are correct." My own voice had regained the confidence and nobility I had utilized when talking to Armsmaster, positively _dripping_ both confidence and contempt. "If you value your personal well-being, then I suggest that you release Panacea."

She stared at me for a handful of seconds that were filled chock-full with tension, then grinned like a child who had been told that Christmas was coming early. "Grue!"

Darkness seeped out of the leather swathed villain at a rapid pace, cloaking the entire area in mere seconds. I swore internally. I couldn't control the blades precisely without clear vision, If I attacked, there was a risk that I would fatally hit one of the villains, or worse, one of the Wards.

I spun and slashed with my hilt, hoping that I would be able to hit one of the monsters that Bitch created and at least slow their escape. I couldn't tell If I had connected or not, I couldn't actually feel through my petals, for all I knew I had just killed all of the villains with a single misplaced attack.

My brain worked furiously, trying to find a method, a technique, _anything_ that would stop their escape. But I came up blank, there was nothing I could really do. I used a Shunpo to appear on a rooftop above the darkness, spying Glory Girl, Aegis and Kid Win all branching off in different directions, following the darkness as it branched off onto different blocks.

I chose a direction at random and took it, barely paying attention as I waited for a second for _Senbonzakura's_ petals to reach me, flying out of the darkness with an absent-minded flick of my wrist. I started blurring over the Brockton Bay skyline, flickering from rooftop to lamppost to telephone wire in a vain attempt to catch the villains.

It was only after the darkness finally stopped spreading, coming to a halt about a dozen blocks away from the bank then dispersing, that I finally gave up.

I turned around and disappeared in a Shunpo, heading back to my house in the docks in a mixture of disappointment, anger and a rather crushing feel of uselessness.

* * *

 **This fight took me a long while, and I'm still not entirely happy with it. I wrote one version that stuck pretty close to the canonical one, scrapped it, wrote this different, moderately different chapter in one big-ass writing spree. Writing fight scenes with multiple members is pretty fucking hard, seeing as you have to try and include every character, to a certain extent. I still missed out on some characters though, like Kid Win, Regent and Glory Girl. Ah well.**

 **But what most of you are probably gonna want to know about is the fact that she used kido. I decided that Taylor, when using** _some_ **of the Zanpakuto, will have the ability to use a kido that the canonical wielder favored. E.G., for kyoka suigetsu, kurohistugi, or, more importantly, for Minazuki, healing kido. That is my viewpoint on kido, that only changed because otherwise some of the Zanpakuto are just a bit boring without them. I won't give her the ability to use, for example, byakurai when wielding something like Sode no Shirayuki. She can only use Byakurai when wielding Senbonzakura.**

 **An interlude will be next, probably from Panacea's and the internet's perspective. Joy. I get to try and characterize Panacea well enough so I don't trigger the Worm fandom, which is gonna be hard as shit, cause she isn't exactly a shallow character. At all.**

 **Thank you for reading.**


	7. Scatter - Interlude

**I'm alive Mothafuckas!**

 **This chapter took me a whole week to write for a plethora of reasons. The first? High school's a bitch, and so is the workload. Really not looking forward to college. The second? Panacea. Amy dallon is really hard to write, and even after spending hour after hour on her, I'm still uncertain if she came off a wee bit too angsty or not. Ah well. We'll see.**

 **Next chapter Taylor will forge her second Zanpakuto, which means that this interlude right here is your only chance to give your input. Just keep in mind that it's almost certainly either going to be either Minazuki or Benihime next, unless 20 people suddenly review asking for Suzembachi or something.**

 **And finally, because over 10 people last chapter mentioned the fact that Tattletale shouldn't have known that Shunpo was in fact called Shunpo, (Yes I went back and fixed, now everyone shut the fuck up about it please), I've decided to tentatively request for a Beta reader. PM me if you're interested, and if you're not, then ignore everything I just said.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach or Worm. Both belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

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 **Topic: New Hero - Regalia**

 **In: Boards Brockton Bay New Capes**

 **chaosfaith** (Original Poster) (Veteran Member)

Posted April 14th 2011

So. The Undersiders showed up to rob Central Bank at 1:00 pm, The Wards showed up outside a bit later. Situation seems kinda bad for the Wards, especially seeing as The Undersiders had hostages, and then BAM! New cape (Regalia?) shows up, proceeds to quite literally cut down the opposition. Link to the full video is **here.**

 **Forgotten Creator**

Replied April 14th 2011

Holy shit, you weren't kidding. You sure she's a hero? She cut down Bitch/Hellhound, then blew a literal hole in Grue. That isn't something a true hero would do. And she uses some kinda Japanese sword too, a sword that seems to be pretty goddamn sharp. She's gotta be ABB.

 **Dawgsmiles** (Veteran Member)

Replied April 14th 2011

If you look closely, you can see that she got hit by one of Gallant's blasts just before she cut down Bitch, he probably hit her with anger or something. And Miss Militia's powerset revolves around guns, you can't be on Regalia's (confirmed name?) ass for carrying around a sharp weapon when she might have to face off against monsters like Lung or Hookwolf.

 **Forgotten Creator**

Replied April 14th 2011.

Alright, jesus, I get it. She's a good guy.

 **general**

Replied April 14th 2011

Forget that, did you see what she did with those… flower petals? That's gotta be one of the prettiest powers I've seen yet. Her costume seems seriously high quality too, we sure that she's an independent?

 **LASERSMILE**

Replied April 14th 2011

If she was with a group, they would've laid claim to her by now. She's an independent.

 **Mac's Dual Rocket Propelled Grenades** (Veteran Member)

Replied April 14th 2011

Video shown **here** has audio that let's you can hear what they're saying, even though the video itself is pretty trash.

 **MockMonicker**

Replied April 14th 2011

Those Petals are all sharp? That's scary. Really scary. All she has to do is direct them at a crowd of people, and they're gonna have more blood on the outside of their bodies than the inside.

 **general**

Replied April 14th 2011

At least she's a hero.

 **Space Zambie**

Replied April 14th 2011

So what is she? Mover, Blaster, Striker, Master? All of them?!

 **chaosfaith** (Original Poster) (Veteran Member)

Replied April 14th 2011

Seems like it. She's gonna be kicking some serious villain ass if that's the case. Specifically Oni Lee, her abilities seem like a pretty good counter to his.

 **GOD OF LOGS**

Replied April 14th 2011

Bit late for that. Remember the cape fight (Oni Lee was a confirmed participant) that happened a few weeks ago on the rooftops of The Docks? Although the feeds pretty crappy, the video **here,** shows that the second participant of the fight was probably Regalia.

 **LASERSMILE**

Replied April 14th 2011

Looks like Regalia to me.

 **Nod**

Replied April 14th 2011

Yeah, that's her all right. You can see her - petals? blades? - but they only show up when the rooftop explodes. Something to do with the light maybe? Either way, she's made her way onto my list of favourite Brockton Bay capes, if only because she looks seriously badass.

 **Space Zambie**

Replied April 14th 2011

Couldn't agree more, Regalia looks like she's gonna be living up to her name, in both appearance and performance. She practically took out Grue and Bitch by herself, and The Undersiders probably would have been caught if it wasn't for Grue's darkness.

 **Forgotten Creator**

Replied April 14th 2011

Shadow Stalker's still the best cape out there.

 **Mac's Dual Rocket Propelled Grenades** (Veteran Member)

Replied April 14th 2011

Screw that, what can SS do? Oh yeah, transform into smoke. On the other hand, Regalia can appear wherever she wants in an instant, blast a hole through you with a laser _and_ cut you to shreds with flower petals. Fail to see how intangibility, crossbows and a heaping of edge trumps that.

 **Forgotten Creator**

Replied April 14th 2011

[This post was deleted for inappropriate content]

 **GOD OF LOG'S**

Replied April 14th 2011

I can't actually remember how many times Forgotten Creator has been banned.

Why is he still allowed on the site again?

 **GrovellingtoGilgamesh** (Veteran Member)

Replied April 15th 2011

The Protectorate just gave officially announced Regalia. Apparently she's an independent hero with no allegiances, with the - currently - untested ratings:

Mover - 4

Blaster - 3

Shaker - 5

Striker - 1

 **End of Page.** **1** **, 2, 3, 4**

* * *

Regalia. To the civilians of Brockton Bay, the name was identified with a new cape who had almost stopped the robbery of Central Bank, a cool new addition to the cape scene. Her powers were diverse and strong and the petals she summoned were stunning to behold, her costume simultaneously unique and badass. She was everything you could want from a new cape, powerful and unique, with an awesome costume that looked like something a Top Tier hero might wear.

But Amy Dallon, also known as Panacea, had seen her when she was weak and desperate, bleeding out on the floor of the hospital. It ruined the image slightly, took her off the pedestal that she had already started building for herself. Amy was used to it though, it was hard to see heroes as the flawless idols they built themselves up to be when she, 'The Best Healer on the Planet', hated being one.

No one knew about her hatred for heroism, of course. The entire world would be horrified, Panacea, the heroine who had saved countless lives without a second thought not being a perfect angel? It was ridiculous, the mere thought of such a thing was practically inconceivable. Panacea healed heroes and villains both, her altruism was never ending. Hell, it would probably shock Scion out of his eternal silence, just so he could explain to her why she needed to keep saving lives.

Not even Vicky, her dearest sister, had a clue about her own personal feelings around the healing spree's she constantly went through.

When Regalia had first showed up, all Amy had felt was irritation. It had been a long day, stuffed chock full of dull, monotonous healing. All she had wanted was to get home and catch a few hours of sleep before she had to return to Arcadia High School, and with that loneliness and boredom. But Amy still liked to think of herself as a good person, so she had agreed to heal the wounded cape.

Their interaction had been curt and to the point, so much so that she had practically forgotten about it, the quick exchange of words falling to the back of her mind, swamped by her own Depression.

It was only when she saw the robed cape standing on the bank steps, glaring dispassionately at Tattletale, brown eyes bearing down on the purple suited villainess in an equal mixture of distaste and anger.

She could've reconfigured Tattletale biology right then and there, but she had hesitated. In a part it was from fear of the gun held to her head, that she wouldn't be able to apply her powers fast enough to properly disable Tattletale before a round could be buried deep in her skull. She wouldn't put it past Tattletale to kill if she absolutely had to, even though she didn't act like much of a killer.

But in reality, it had been fear of herself. She couldn't heal people with a touch, contrary to popular belief. Her power allowed her to change biology with a touch, if she wanted to, she could easily end a life with just the barest brush of skin. But she had never used her power for anything outside of healing others. Sure, she wanted to hurt Tattletale, _badly._ But she was scared, not only of what she could do to the villainess, but also of what might happen to herself. If she did something unbelievably horrifying to Tattletale, it would drag not just her own, but all of New Wave's names down in the dirt. Hell, if the public realised just how _fucking dangerous_ she had the potential to be, they might even want her put in the Birdcage. Although New Wave sure as hell would fight back, they couldn't stand up to the might of the Protectorate.

So it was both fear for herself and of herself that stayed her hand.

But as Tattletale kept talking, she had started to slowly but surely start to lose hope. Every point the blonde made was completely true, every statement she had made was filled with confidence not just because she was naturally cocky, but because she knew that she had already won. As reckless as Vicky was, the one thing she wouldn't do was risk harm to her little sister.

Then Regalia had raised her blade, and submersed the world in pink.

It had maybe been one of the most beautiful things Amy had ever seen, the cherry blossom petals drifting through the air in an almost peaceful manner, while still releasing an unspoken threat, a hidden lethality beneath the beauty. The world had sat in silence for a second, awestruck at the elegant display of power.

Then Tattletale had spoke, confidence completely eradicated, and Amy swore that she had never heard something so satisfying in her entire life.

The fact that The Undersiders had still gotten away rankled at her, but she took comfort in the fact that they retreated in far worse condition than they had entered, and with nothing to show for it too.

She had wanted to thank Regalia, even though she had failed to actually stop or catch The Undersiders, Tattletales horror at the pink petals was wonderful enough that it didn't even matter to her. She hadn't ever thought about asking for a payment for a healing, but she had reckoned that having a cape that owed her would be useful in of itself, even though she had forgotten about the debt just minutes after it was given.

But the Independent Cape had vanished without a trace, disappearing into Grue's darkness even while she spun to strike at The Undersiders escape method. Vicky had seen her appear in a blur on a rooftop, then vanish again, probably to try and follow The Undersiders. That was her last sighting, she moved too fast for anyone to get more than a passing glimpse.

She had returned then, received an interrogation from Carol about the bank robbery, talked with Vicky, browsed through Regalia's new thread on Parahumans Online to see if she could find any more information on the heroine, then went to sleep.

She had been forced to go to school the next day by Carol, she hadn't suffered any real kind of physical injury or mental stress from the incident after all, there wasn't any reason she shouldn't go to school, at least not in the eyes of her adoptive mother. But Carol didn't quite understand how Arcadia high worked, or more specifically, how it worked for Amy.

New Wave was based off the idea that heroes shouldn't conceal their identities and that doing so displayed a hero's lack of trust in the people that they protected. This meant that everyone knew that Amy Dallon was Panacea and that Victoria Dallon was Glory Girl. Normally this wasn't a real problem, all of the opportunists and social snakes were naturally drawn to Vicky, who was beautiful, blonde and charismatic, whereas Amy was mousy, brown haired and quiet by nature.

But now? She had been a focal point of the Central Bank robbery, she would be gain fame overnight, even though being in the centre of attention was Victoria's shtick, not hers. But this was high school, and in high school, who gave a shit about your own personal feelings? Everyone except the Wards would be clamoring to talk to her, to get just the tiniest tidbit of in on the cape scene. Sure, Victoria had been there, but Amy had been held captive, and had been saved by the cool new independent cape. They'd hope to try and curry favour with her, hoping they could get on her good side while she was weak and vulnerable after her first cape fight. It didn't matter that she was a healer, which let her get free, exclusive peeks at what a humans insides looked like. Expecting high schoolers to posses intelligence was like expecting the Slaughterhouse nine to start an orphanage for their victims' children, ridiculous at best, laughable at worst.

But expecting and preparing for it didn't make it any easier to deal with when it actually happened. Throughout the day Amy had been avoiding anyone who looked like they wanted to talk to her. It was lunch break, and the healing cape was hiding away in the corner of a cafeteria, praying to all that was holy that she would be able to get out of school without being caught by anyone.

"Hey there Amy!"

No such luck.

The New Wave cape raised her eyes from her book, practically glaring at the teenaged girl who had tried to strike up a conversation. The teen standing in front of her was asian, short black hair and slanted eyes matched royal blue jeans and a dark purple blouse. She was smiling happily without her eyes, head tilted in a way that made her appear friendlier and more welcoming.

Amy had to restrain herself from punching the girl in the jaw.

"I heard what happened at the Bank," she voiced in a comfortable, patronizing tone of voice. "If you'd like to, well, you know, talk about it, I'm here for you."

Amy didn't grace the opportunist with a reply, returning to the realm of Apoptosis and proliferation without a second thought. She saw the asian high schooler narrow her eyes for a second, then replaster her smile and sit down next to Amy, leaning forward in her seat to better meet the heroes eyes.

"What was it like, being in the middle of a cape fight?" The girl kept talking anyway, not giving Amy time to reply. "Bet it must have been pretty scary, especially with a villain holding a gun to your head."

Amy met the purple wearing girl's eyes, trying to stop herself from glowering while she met the girl's eyes.

"Listen, uh," Amy said,

"Hebi. My name's Hebi," the girl crooned with a charming smile.

"Can you please leave? Go talk to my sister, she'd be happy to talk to you about the Bank robbery," asked Amy, trying to stay polite and cordial with the girl. As a hero, she had an image to uphold, even if she hated doing so. Even more so because she was a healing cape, who needed to be _perfect_.

"But I don't want to talk to your sister Amy," lied Hebi "I want to talk to you."

Amy scowled internally. Some people were just a bit too persistent, a bit too desperate to get in on the cape scene. When she ran into people like this, it left her with two possible solutions. The first was to simply put up with them, however persistent they were, no one she had met could hold up a completely one sided conversation for hours, and even if they could do such a thing they usually gave up on her the next day, unwilling to waste more of their time when they could just take the easier option and try and make friends with Victoria Dallon.

But today, Amy entirely lacked the willpower to deal with some selfish teens inane prattling, she was just sick of it. And if she couldn't/wouldn't use option one, that left her with option two.

' _Fuck me'_ thought Amy.

She turned to Hebi completely, contorting her face into a mournful, pitiful expression. "Listen, I just… I need some time by myself, to deal with it. It was so, so _terrifying,_ and she was going to _kill_ me, and…" Amy sobbed quietly, burying her face in her hands in fake distress.

Amy glanced up at Hebi's face, discreetly watching the asian girls face for any sign of the emotions that often appeared when the opportunities were about to flee. The girl was stunned at first, she genuinely had no idea what to do with the crying girl in front of her, after all, this was Panacea, a hero, not just some no name teen that had broken down in the cafeteria.

Hebi's face shifted into disgust quickly with an almost unusual speed. She Nastier than most apparently. No teenager wanted to be stuck with a sobbing girl, it would be unbelievably uncomfortable, they might even be blamed for turning the girl to tears if they stuck around, especially if they weren't any sort of friend of said girl.

What made the situation even worse for Hebi was the fact that Amy was a hero, and a very well known one. If she had been seen by others talking to the girl just before she burst into unexpected tears, even though she had appeared perfectly fine all day, fingers would be pointed. And no one wants to mess with New Wave, partly because they were a powerful team of heroes, and partly because Brandish was one of the best lawyers out there, as well as being the mother of Panacea.

"Uh, I need to, uh… go meet up with some friends!" Hebi practically leapt of the table in her haste to get away from the sobbing hero, toppling a glasses wearing boy over as she hurried away.

Amy watched the girl go, wiped her eyes free of her crocodile tears, and returned to reading her book in silence.

Already, some of the students around her were turning to each other and mumbling out sentences to each other conspiratorially, some even going so far as to make small gestures at her. Before the school day was over, everyone would know about how Panacea had burst into tears in the middle of conversation with the asian girl. Rumours would spread, gossip would travel.

But it was still better than her third choice, which was, in reality, the one she really wanted to use.

What Amy really wanted to do was to give into her anger, her frustration, her bitterness and to let it all out. To completely go beserk, to give the backstabbing teen the verbal lashing of a lifetime, to tell the whole school to _fuck off._

But she couldn't do that. After all, even if sobbing in public was bad for her public image, it still fit with her cape personality as a kind healer who healed whoever came to her doorstep. Giving into her rage most certainly did not fit with that image. And if her many years as a hero had taught her one thing, it was that PR mattered far more than most people would think. Far, far more.

Sometimes, Amy Dallon wished she didn't have powers at all.

* * *

Oni Lee didn't feel emotion.

It was a fact of nature, a law of the world. Oni Lee had no heart, no feelings. It was physically impossible for him to feel any form of joy, grief, rage or despair. It had been like that for as long as anyone could remember, had been that way ever since November 2nd, 1999. When Lung had fought Leviathan to a standstill after the endbringer had submerged all of kyusu.

The day when Leviathan ended Japan.

The only human alive who even knew of his past personality, the living, breathing, feeling being he was before he donned the mask of Oni Lee was Lung, and even he had all but forgotten that a man known as Benjiro Taniguchi had ever existed.

But when Oni Lee watched the bank fight through a television screen with his one remaining eye, when he saw the culmination of sakura petals, he felt the faintest stirring of emotion from deep, deep inside of him.

It was too faint to truly be called anger, far too subdued to even begin to compare to mild frustration. But it was there, a faint, deadened, practically non-existent flicker of hate. It wasn't even strong enough to call an emotion, it was more of a sensation, a slight tingling from within Oni Lee's fragmented soul. But it was enough.

"Lung."

The monolith of a man turned to his foremost Lieutenant with an almost imperceptible air of shock. It had been years upon years since Oni Lee had done anything but obey his orders, done anything but bow and kill. The dragon masked man stared straight at Oni Lee, the dark, gloomy rooms shadows practically lengthening with the sheer force behind that gaze.

"Yes?"

Lung's voice matched his appearance, deep, rumbling, and emanating from the chest.

"Regalia." The one eyed demons voice was flat of any tone or inflection, a total monotone that sent shivers down the spine. "She's mine."

Lung stared at Oni Lee. Minutes passed in total silence, the dragon staring down at the demon in contemplation, disbelief, and with the faintest hint of curiosity.

"Why?"

Oni Lee pondered this question. Why did he feel this emotion for the girl? Was it vengeance? Was he angered by the loss of his right eye, infuriated by the fact that the girl escaped a fight with him without any form of injury, while he had to suffer from the loss of half his sight?

No. Although it did hinder his combat potential, the loss of his eye was not what was giving him these emotions. So what was it?

Was it how she had nearly caused the ruination of an entire ABB drug smuggling ring, even if inadvertently? She had, after all, almost stumbled across one of the ABB's hidden drug smuggling venues and practically forced him into combat with her, which in turn almost let the police who had attacked once he was gone come out victorious in the fight. It was only the quick thinking of one of the head gangbangers that stopped the entire operation from being eradicated.

Still, No. It would have been a mar on his mostly flawless record, but that was unimportant to him. All he cared about was following the orders of Lung to the letter, making sure that he completed every task that his leader gave him.

Ah. That was it.

Before that night, Lung had specifically ordered him to kill any cape that got in the way of the operation and quickly too, as to make sure that the important operation was finished without a hitch. But the girl, Regalia, had not only survived his attacks, - even though he expended one of his few Bakuda-made grenades on the girl, - but she had won the fight. She had been heavily wounded after the fight, but she was perfectly fine now, in fact, she seemed better than she had been before. On the other hand, he now lacked an eye.

But the loss wasn't what bothered him, what bothered him was the fact that her victory had lead to him failing Lung. And though almost nothing of the man behind the mask remained, what had survived the degradation of his power was his infallible loyalty to the man he had once called brother.

"Does it matter?"

"... I suppose it does not."

* * *

 **Welp! That's done and done with now. My biggest fear is writing Amy/Panacea/PanPan as too angsty and depressed. I don't think I exaggerated her depression, but then again, I thought I personified Armsmaster okay, and people were pretty salty about that. So I guess we'll see how it goes. I do plan on making Panacea one of the more central characters of With Grace and Elegance, I find her to be one of the best characters Worm has to offer. Better than her sister anyway. Fuck Victoria.**

 **Oni Lee showed up shortly too, mainly just for uniqueness and originality. I have seen about two fics were Oni Lee was characterized in any way shape or form, which does make sense, but is also kind of sad. I like his design and ability, so he'll be taking a more important role in this fic than Lung's get out of jail free card. I won't tell what direction I plan on taking his character in, it would ruin the fun after all, but suffice to say that it's... different.**

 **And in response to a rather critical reviewer (who still raised a handful of good points), yes, I plan on bending over canon and fucking it in the asshole. Hard. But these kinda things take time, and I'm still just starting out as a writer. I'd rather stay more or less close to canon in the beginning without using overdone scenes (like the lung fight).**

 **Thank you for reading, and please do review. It brightens my day.**


	8. Scream 2-1

**And the second Zanpakuto has been chosen! Most Bleach fans can probably tell which I chose to forge next, even though the chapter title isn't _technically_ the release phrase. And fret not, those who wanted other Zanpakuto to be forged, they will come eventually. Just have a wee bit of patience. **

**This chapter is kind of a rehash of the first chapter, although It does posses a handful of differences. There's no action here, most of it is just Taylor trying to be a detective and some hopefully interesting dialogue. I did change a handful of things about the Zanpakuto's apperance, but that was mostly just to fit to the name a bit better than their canon self would.**

 **And we breached the 400 favourite mark too! Which is nearly 500! And 500 is half of 1,000!**

 **Hell the fuck yeah!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own Bleach or Worm, both belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

I slammed my fist on the desk in fury.

Luckily for me, the Library was more or less empty, only inhabited by a few elderly people who couldn't be bothered to glare at me. I was sitting in front of a computer at the library, the Brockton Bay News website displayed on the screen in a bold blue and white. The headline of the article I was reading? "Mayor's Niece Kidnapped."

The robbery, the Undersiders, the _entire fucking fight_ had been a distraction. And like the imbecilic fool that I was, I hadn't suspected a thing. Hell, I should have though my actions through more, but instead of using my head, I leapt into the action like an idiot. In hindsight, it should have been obvious that a big, daring bank robbery would be one of the best distractions anyone could afford. But I had fucked up, _badly,_ and now I had to deal with the consequences.

I breathed slowly, using the technique to slowly but surely quell the burning self-anger inside of me. It was looking more and more like I had inherited dad's infamous temper, what with my countenance seeming so volatile recently.

In the light of my mistake, I had ditched school, (No, I don't give a shit about Winslow), made my way over to the closest free computer, and surfed the web for any serious crimes that had occurred around the same time. Lo and behold, there had been a culprit. Dinah Alcott, the mayor's niece, had been kidnapped from her home around the same time as the bank robbery. There were no leads or hints as to why she was stolen, not even some form of ransom note. This brought one thought to mind.

Capes.

If something didn't make much sense, then it was most likely cape related, I reckoned. If not for the bank robbery, I probably would have suspected something much more mundane, like a delayed ransom request or a serial killer. But to not just hire The Undersiders, a gang of Merchants, and organize a handful of other distractions? Funding like that was pretty rare.

I went through a list of suspects in my one personal notebook, using my newly gained knowledge of the cape scene to help with my amateur deduction.

The E88? No, Dinah was most definitely white, and they were a Nazi/White supremacist gang. There could be a bundle of hidden reasons for a kidnapping, but I relegated them down to _unlikely_ on my list.

ABB? Possibly. Oni Lee definitely had the capability and morale compass for kidnapping a little girl, something I knew all too well from our own fight. But he always left some ash behind when he teleported, - although Ash could be easily cleaned up - and anyways, kidnappings like that aren't really what the ABB usually partake in. At least, I don't think so.

The Merchants? Kidnapping the mayor's niece and demanding a ransom actually suited their motif pretty well. But as I had seen, the Merchants were just a bunch of druggies and retards, there was no way in hell that they had been the ones to abduct Dinah so perfectly.

It couldn't be the Undersiders for obvious reasons.

I didn't know of any other villain groups in Brockton Bay, but there could be some, and if I was lucky enough, there would either be a villain or a group who seemed capable of pulling a robbery like this off.

My fingers rattled over the clunky keyboard as I browsed the villains page on PHO, checking for any potential suspects. There weren't many other options for me, just a duo called Uber and L33T, a mercenary group that worked under a cape called Faultline, a travelling group of villains known as The Travellers (really worked hard for that name didn't they?), and a lone villain known as Coil. I decided to sort through each and every one of them, starting from Uber and L33T and going down.

Uber and L33T were idiots, I decided after just a minute of looking at their page. Apparently they ran some sort of streaming channel in which them filmed all of the 'crimes' that they committed. The only reason that people watched the channel was because they failed at pretty much everything they tried their hands at.

I frowned a bit. That struck a little too close to home for me, what with my own bullying problems. Our situations were vastly different, but I couldn't help but feel a little bad for them. They tried to be taken seriously, but sucked so much that they would probably never be seen as anything as a really bad joke.

But I had to rub my forehead slightly as I read that they apparently went out dressed as characters from pop culture, along with the equipment and (bad) voice acting to go with it. No wonder they were seen as idiots.

But I would bet _Senbonzakura_ on their inability to kidnap Dinah, they probably wouldn't do it, even if they had the abilities to do so. They struck me as normal guys who had gotten powers one day, and just hadn't wanted to be heroes. They almost certainly still had a strong moral compass underneath their cosplay outfits.

Faultline's crew was next. They were a mercenary villains group, succinctly they did whatever was requested from the highest bidder. They could have had a role in Dinah Alcott's kidnapping, but they most likely wouldn't be anything more than the medium for the kidnapping. Their history had shown that they never went into action without being paid for it, they would have had some sort of boss that directed them even if they were involved in the kidnapping. I marked them down as unlikely.

There was barely any information on the Traveller's, all I could gather from PHO was that they dressed in red and black, possessed a level 10 blaster, and was a completely nomadic villain group, usually robbing a few locations in a city and then moving onto another. There wasn't enough information on the forum to really rate them as anything, but I tentatively marked them down as _unlikely,_ if only because they were a nomadic group, and having a grudge with any city would be a bad situation for them.

Coil was last. His page was even sparser than the Travellers, the page only having about three paragraphs to it. According to the PHO he wasn't even confirmed to be a cape, but was known to wear a black bodysuit with a white snake design and to utilise high class mercenaries, where he got the funds for such an expensive luxury was unknown.

I leaned backwards in my chair, pushing two fingers into my temple to quell my rapidly growing headache. This Coil character seemed more suspicious than Uber and L33T, Faultlines crew and The Travellers combined. Although there was almost no information about him, everything fit. He had the means to kidnap the girl with well trained mercenaries, he had mysteriously large fundings, and his motives were completely unknown. Although he wasn't really any more likely to be the culprit than, say, The Travellers, there also wasn't anything _against_ him being the kidnapper, whereas all of my other suspects had traits to them that didn't quite match up.

So. If Coil truly was the kidnapper, then that left one question. Why? Why capture Dinah Alcott? It couldn't be for money, he had already displayed his monetary power, it would have done more harm than good for his position in the bay. A hostage situation was a maybe, but then some sort of message or ultimatum would have either been left at the crime scene or sent directly to the mayor. Of course, there could have been one, and the mayor had just decided to cover it up for whatever reason. It wouldn't surprise me if he had some dirty laundry that he didn't want aired that Coil knew about, which would lead him to covering up the entire situation in order to save his own skin.

Corrupt authority in Brockton Bay? Shocker.

But still, that theory was incomplete and vague, and it didn't feel right to me. Why would a villain like Coil, who seemed to be trying his hardest to fly under the radar, hold a little girl hostage? Harming and threatening children was something that even the ABB and E88 didn't do, if only because it would bring the Protectorate down upon them like a ton of angry, superpowered bricks.

A thought struck me suddenly; what if Dinah was some sort of Cape? Hell, the fact that If something didn't make sense, chances were it was related to some sort of cape was the entire basis of this makeshift argument in the first place.

If Coil had decided to kidnap this girl for a cape power that said girl possesed, everything made a bit more sense. Coil hadn't demanded a ransom or declared an ultimatum because that would bring attention to him. His plan was probably something along the lines of keeping the kidnapping as quiet as possible, after a few weeks with no kind of progress, the police would probably give up or give it to the Protectorate. It was more likely that they would just give up though, if just because the Protectorate was occupied enough as it was without having to deal with mysterious kidnappings.

Which left it up to me to find Dinah Alcott and bring her back home to her parents.

But how to do it?

I thought back to the bank robbery. The Undersiders were a good place to start.

A voice whispered in the back of my head, full of seductive cunning and raw bloodthirst, accompanied by a sudden rush of drowsiness. I held my hands to my head, the world was suddenly tilting this way and that, my peripheral vision fading into black.

My head clunked onto the keyboard a second later, my eyes flickering shut as my forehead clattered painfully against the squarish black keys.

* * *

My eyes opened to the endless horizon of my inner world, the unfathomably large ocean as lazy as ever.

I was dressed in my cape outfit, white haori and black shikkahuso perfectly clean and creaseless, montone fabric layering around my body with a comforting softness. The only real difference in the outfit was that my scarf was lowered, the flawless pale fabric covering my neck and falling down my back in two rivulets of white.

I stepped forward towards my forge, sandalled feet gliding over the mix of green grass and grey rock effortlessley. The energy inside of me was swirling and shifting restlessly, it needed to get out, to be released, to be _forged._

As I moved closer and closer to my forge, the current within me started to slowly but surely change itself. As I stepped over the threshold of the forge, and as it grew like it had before, the energy inside of me was surging through my veins rapidly, tinged with sly cunning, an adoration for battle and a pure, bloody crimson.

 _Senbonzakura_ was grace and elegance personified, beautiful yet still completely restrained. What I felt inside of me, it still possessed that control that the cherry blossom blade held, but it also held an unrestrained brutality that I had never before felt from my dear _Zanpakuto._

It excited me, this unbounded viciousness. It was so unique, so different from what I was used to that I couldn't help but thrill at the marvel of it.

A part of me wondered if this was my bad boy phase.

I breathed in deeply in a way that felt practiced and smooth, even though this was only my second sword. The fire that leapt from my mouth was different than it had been last time, the flames held and almost unholy crimson tint to them, bright, bloody red mixed in with wild gold and orange to form a spiralling twister of scalding flames.

Just like last time, the table sized stone tablet caught aflame, physics once again deciding to give up as the inflammable material flickered with an undying flame.

Instead of my hand, the _Zanpakuto's_ sword material came from my chest, directly forming on the skin just above my heart. In contrast to _Senbonzakura's_ pure white material it was a scarlet colour that was identically coloured to my own blood. But the shape was similar, a long, thin oblong shape shaped equivalent to the shape of a sword blade. The rectangular shape dripped slightly, the vermillion material that the soon-to-be- _Zanpakuto_ falling to the floor to collect in a thin crimson stream. I couldn't help but liken it to blood, in not just colour, shape and material but in its very existence.

I suspected the blade that I was about to make wouldn't be a very nice one.

One of my molar's was idly pulled from my mouth, forming into an unnaturally weightless black hammer as I held the scarlet material over the forge in preparation. My hammer fell again and again, but it was now that I started to actually struggle. The material didn't want to comply, turning this way and that in my hand in a style that made it truly hard to forge evenly and properly.

It was fighting me. No, not fighting, It was testing me. This blade wouldn't be like _Senbonzakura,_ a cold but loving hand on my shoulder. This blade wanted me to prove myself, it wanted me to show that I truly had the right to wield it.

Not a nice blade at all.

I soldiered on, grappling with the crimson _Zanpakuto_ in a fierce yet unseen battle of wills. I needed perfect control over her, complete and utter restraint over the unwieldy blade, otherwise this blade could very well come into being as a malformed creation. And I refused to let that happen, both my pride in my swords and my love for them preventing me from simply letting the _Zanpakuto_ have its way.

I could have spent decades in there, battling with this crimson princess, and I would never know. What I did know that after an unending, exhausting tug of wills, I had finally, _finally,_ reigned my second _Zanpakuto_ in.

Raising the perfectly straight blade from the slowly dying flames, I smiled. It wasn't the happy, content smile that _Senbonzakura_ always brought me. It was more of a grin, a vigorous, dangerous reveal of my teeth that really just wasn't very nice. This sword in my hands? It could be just as graceful and elegant as _Senbonzakura._ But it held within it a bloodthirst that my first _Zanpakuto_ simply couldn't match. Although the cherry blossom might hold the edge in power, it couldn't hope to match the sword I now held in my hands in pure, unrestrained lethality _._

"Scream. _Benihime."_

* * *

It had started raining as soon as I Shunpoed up to the rooftop, the heavens opening up and weeping their sorrows away, gushing rivulets of water falling from the sky to thunder against the thin metal awning that I was sheltered under, hanging forward just enough that I was only a few metres away from the steep drop off that lead to the street below.

I had been woken from my inner world when the plain-faced old woman that ran the library had not-so-gently woken me up, roughly shaking my shoulder uncaring of my own personal well-being. Luckily enough, she had woken me up from my impromptu slumber after I had finished forging/battling with _Benihime_ , not in the middle of it. I don't know what would happen if someone tried to wake me during forging. Hopefully, they simply wouldn't be able to, but with all that I didn't know about my powers, they could very well fall into my inner world with me.

I had chosen this location, a moderately tall apartment building that gave a view of most of downtown, for the first awakening of _Benihime._ I hadn't planned on the rain, but it wasn't like I could control the weathers with my powers. Hopefully the crimson _Zanpakuto_ would like the vista enough to come out and talk, otherwise I would have to go through the evening, night and following morning with the uncomfortable feeling of a _Zanpakuto_ stirring anxiously in a plea for release. I was all dressed up too, the monotone colours of my cape outfit draping over my body in an ever-impressive display of noble regality.

"What a lovely view."

All I could see of the figure in front of me was a large, black, robe-like overcoat not dissimilar to my own, messy, short blonde hair and a red and white striped bucket hat.

The figure also appeared to be completely dry, even though she was standing in the pouring rain.

I stepped out to meet my _Zanpakuto,_ ignoring the way the rain ran uncomfortably down my billowing robes in favour of focusing on _Benihime._ As I stepped up beside the _Zanpakuto_ , I noticed that they were resting one of their hands loosely on a curving wooden cane, idly tapping out a slow rhythm on the roof's lip as their eyes turned to me.

 _She_ \- I could make out her gender from the faint curve to her chest and the feminine curve of her face - was wearing dull red, japanese clothing underneath her overcoat, the fabric layered around her body even looser than my own Shikkahuso. The tall woman's eyes were shadowed by her hat, leaving only her nose, mouth and chin visible to me. What I could see of her face was contorted into a cheerful smirk. Her hair stuck out from beneath the hat, only adding to the image of a hobo that dressed in japanese clothing, even though they were quite obviously not japanese.

"You aren't quite what I was expecting from a crimson princess," I snarked, feeling ever so slightly unimpressed with my Zanpakuto's appearance, especially when I compared her to _Senbonzakura._

 _Benihime_ shrugged in a lackadaisical manner. "While dressing up all fancy like yourself has it's good points, I personally prefer the perks of looking a bit less…" She looked me up and down, "Impressive."

I smiled at her comment. "Whatever suits you best," I replied, without a hint of my usual social awkwardness. Whereas _Senbonzakura_ was - at first - intimidating and hard to talk to, _Benihime_ held a relaxed and almost jovial air to her. It was hard to remember how viciously we had fought just a few hours ago, even if the battle had been completely mind-based.

The rain stopped hitting me suddenly, even though the rest of the world was still drenched. _Benihime_ gestured towards the sky with her cane, and I looked up to see a bright crimson, hexagonal shield a few metres above me, the rain evaporating as soon as it made contact with the flat surface.

"I don't have a huge pole rammed up my asshole," I snickered slightly at her casual belittling of _Senbonzakura,_ "so I won't stop you from using my abilities whichever way you like. You want to use my _Chikasumi no Tate_ as an umbrella? Go right ahead."

The hexagonal shield then started to flicker and die, the edges slowly but surely fading out as the rain started to inch it's way towards me. I withdrew _Benihime's_ shikai blade hurriedly from my inner world, reinforcing the makeshift umbrella with my own energy. The shield shimmered back into existence rapidly, holding steady over my head. I narrowed my eyes at _Benihime,_ who was now holding a fan over her mouth and waving it back and forth rapidly, giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Just a little test for you Taylor. It wouldn't do to have you unable to use my abilities, hmm?" I was once again reminded that this _Zanpakuto_ had actively struggled against me when I was trying to forge her, either in a test of will not unlike what had just happened, or because she genuinely didn't want to be forged.

What a pain in the ass.

"Benihime."

The crimson princess turned to me, her seemingly never-fading smirk dancing over her lips. "Yes, little flower?"

I twitched faintly in irritation at the nickname. "Both you and _Senbonzakura_ can view my memories, correct?"

She hummed in acknowledgment, refraining from actually looking at me in favour of staring out over Brockton Bay. I ignored her attempts to irritate me in favour of resealing _Benihime's_ shikai, confident in my own abilities to hold the _Chikasumi no Tate_ without a medium.

"Then you should be able to tell me where The Undersiders ran off too." I was taking a pretty large leap of faith here, I wasn't really aware of what _Benihime's_ true form could do, but I did know that her energies had felt fiercely cunning, bearing a kind of intelligence that only came about once every few centuries. If she really was as clever as I thought she was, she might be able to give me a rough estimate of where The Undersiders home of operations was, in turn giving me a potential way to track down Coil, who may or may not have kidnapped Dinah Alcott.

All these hope-so's and maybe's were starting to give me a headache.

"Maybe so, maybe not," _Benihime_ drawled with a grin.

Hating myself a little bit for it, I decided to borrow a tactic from (ugh) Emma. Buttering them up, as I liked to call it. "You're a genius, are you not? Far more intelligent than me or _Senbonzakura_ anyway, you should be able to look at the scene and get a general estimation of where they went through the smoke with method's I probably couldn't hope to understand. It's one of your strengths, a talent and ability that only you posses." I hopefully wasn't laying it on too thick, but it wasn't like I'd had experience doing something like this before. I barely had the confidence to talk to someone, let alone manipulate them.

It seemed to work thought, if the way that _Benhime_ brought her fan out to flutter over her face was any indication. "My my Taylor, I'm not that special. Just an ordinary, run of the mill _Zanpakuto,"_ she said with another high-pitched giggle.

She snapped her fan closed with an abrupt _clack,_ the sharp noise almost startling me in it's intensity. When she revealed her face to me it was shockingly serious, her mouth was downturned in an impassive frown, her body posture lacking any of the casual cheeriness it had held just a second ago. One of her eyes was visible beneath the brim of her hat, a dull slate grey that held flecks of unnatural crimson.

"The Undersiders are situated deep within the Dock's, most probably in some sort of large, vacant warehouse or apartment block." Her silly smirk returned once more as her right hand reached inside her black overcoat, presumedly to reach for her fan. "Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to track down these Undersiders, and use them as a stepping stone to reach the mastermind behind the scenes, Coil." She burst into unrepentant giggles, fluttering her fan in an almost seizure like movement in front of her face so fast that it was almost a blur.

I could only shake my head and groan in exasperation at both _Benihime's_ bizarreness and her horrific sense of humour. "Thank you for the help _Benihime,"_ I sighed.

She was still cackling when she faded out of the world, red flecks of light dispersing into the air not unlike _Senbonzakura's_ cherry blossoms while her red clad form faded out of existence like a particularly slow Shunpo. I felt her energy return to my inner world, bringing a sense of wholeness to me that I hadn't realised I lacked.

I looked out over the city, or more specifically, the Dock's, with a faint scowl. Tomorrow, I would approach The Undersiders. It could turn into a vicious fight, one which I almost certainly wouldn't win unless I used lethal force, or a tense battle of wit's in which I tried to use my minimal social skills to get an answer from the villains.

Maybe they had known that they were assisting in the kidnapping of a young girl, or maybe they had just been robbing the bank for a bit of extra cash. Either way, whatever happened tomorrow would give me answers, would give me the information I so desperately needed to confirm my theories which were currently based entirely of vague hints and guesswork.

However tomorrow turned out, things would be changing. And with not only _Senbonzakura,_ but _Benihime_ too by my side? I was confident that the changes would be good.

As I finished my internal monologue the _Chikasumi no Tate_ shattered, letting the rain fall once more and soak me to the bone.

"...Son of a bitch."

* * *

 **Well! This AN is gonna be hella long, so buckle your seatbelts.**

 **First thing to talk about, is my choice of Zanpakuto: Benihime. There were a couple reasons behind this, hopefully good enough to calm any angry people that wanted to see Minazuki. The first is that Taylor forging Minazuki right now doesn't make much sense. Each forgery needs to have a catalyst, a strong emotion that makes Taylor forge a Zanpakuto that corresponds with that emotion. What was happening here was a mixture of deduction, reasoning and logic (very urahara like), and an intense anger at both herself, Coil and The Undersiders. Minazuki and anything else you readers requested will come around eventually, but only when they fit with the story. My second reason is in the title: Grace and Elegance. Minazuki's shikai is basically a giant, green manta ray that digests people to heal them. Not particularly noble or elegant. But Benihime, while not really graceful or elegant, has the potential to be used like that, provided it is given the correct wielder.**

 **The second topic to talk about is Benihime's appearance. The two big things anyone could have noticed was that I changed urahar'as colour palette, and more importantly, gender. Benhime directly translates to crimson princess. Urahara is a scruffy looking guy wearing green. Doesn't quite fit, does it? Their personalities are more or less identical (except for that Taylor-loving instinct that all her zanpakuto posses), I only changed the appearance of Urahara/Benihime to match up with their name.**

 **Benihime's release phrase is also different from in canon. Benihime's official release phrase is Awaken, not Scream, but Scream sounds way better. The reason for me choosing scream? All of Benihime's abilities are first started of with Urahara saying Nake (sing), then the ability name. (Eg: Nake, Chikasumi no Tate) But in the English dub, sing is replaced with scream, so Urahara say's Scream, Blood Mist shield, instead of Sing, Blood Mist Shield. I decided to use Scream as the release phrase instead of awaken, but keep Sing for the ability use. And this won't be the only change I bring to the Zanpakuto too, they will be small and more or less inconsequential, but if I see opportunity for improvement, I will take it.**

 **Finally, Benihime's ability to tell were The Undersiders are. This is _meant_ to be confusing and weird, hopefully you caught how Benihime made a (shitty) joke with Taylor straight afterwards in order to deflect Taylor's attention from _how_ she did so. A pretty big chunk of With Grace and Elegance is going to be exploring Taylor's powers and developing the character's of the different Zanpakuto, my story is kinda similar to how Bleach does things in that aspect.**

 **If you enjoy my story in any aspect or have any kind of feedback for me, please do review. It shows support alot better than just following the story does.**

 **Thank you for reading.**


	9. Scream 2-2

**Merry Christmas!**

 **I couldn't get Scream 2.3 finished on time for Christmas day, so I decided to just update Scream 2.2 without the new chapter. 2.3 will be coming out around New Years day, so you won't have to wait long for that either. This chapter is also way longer than usual, being around 8000 words instead of the standard 4000. S** **o not only is the chapter updated on Christmas day, it's also double the size. Am I not a generous individual?** **I didn't change much of the beginning and end of the chapter, but I did rewrite the entire fight scene from scratch, and the new fight is better than the old one by a large margin. Well, it is in my opinion at least.**

 **This chapter was Beta'd by Zaralann. Kudos to him for not only helping me craft this chapter, but also for helping me plan out a fair amount of where With Grace and Elegance's is going to go in the future. He's a pretty great guy.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach of Worm. Both belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

Finding The Undersiders was turning out to be a fair bit harder than I thought. When Benihime had given me the general location of The Undersiders, I had foolishly thought that all I would have to do was use Shunpo to traverse the docks, searching every large, conveniently conspicuous warehouse until I found them.

It seemed this was the point where the lucky streak I had been experiencing the past few days decided to die on me. I hadn't been able to find The Undersiders wherever I looked, and at this point I had been searching for hours and hours. The only potential Undersiders hideout that I hadn't checked had been some sort of abandoned brick factory, but at the time there had been a PRT van sitting outside the building. Right now I was trying to avoid the PRT, if just so no one else could pressure me into joining The Wards, a conversation which would be sure to bring my socially awkward self out, in turn tearing down the image of badass female independent that I was trying to build as Regalia.

There was also the fact that meeting up with The Undersiders as I planned to probably wouldn't be approved of by the PRT, and if my amateur deductions from yesterday were actually correct, that meant that this upcoming meeting with the group of villains could very well decide the fate of Dinah Alcott. Showing up with a bunch of PRT soldiers by my side would probably send The Undersiders into immediate combat mode, which wasn't what I wanted.

But with the exception of the broken down factory, everywhere else I had looked through had been completely Undersider-less. It was nearly noon now, and I had been searching the Dock's as Regalia since 8:00 am. Yes, I had ditched school again. And yes, I knew that repeatedly ditching school was just avoiding the problem of The Trio instead of solving it. But even though I was now a sword wielding, reality bending cape, there was a part of me that still had a deep, intrinsic fear of the Trio. When I was getting bullied in Winslow, I wasn't the powerful, confident, indomnitable Regalia, I was the scared, practically mute teenage beanpole Taylor Hebert. The Trio wasn't a problem that I could stab with a sword or blow away with an energy blast, it was a problem that I had to deal with as weak little Taylor. And the very idea of such a confrontation scared me, far more than it probably should.

I tore my thoughts away from the Trio and back to the real world, deciding to halt my rapid Shunpo jumps and come to rest standing tall on a rusted lamp post. It was different here from Downtown, the civilians didn't flock to me like moths to a flame, desperate for a chance to experience even the tiniest tidbit of the cape scene. Certainly, they stared at me, I could even see one teenaged girl hold up a video camera, but for the most part they simply went on with their day, taking note of my existence, but not really paying it any mind, more focused on struggling through their own lives as inhabitants of Brockton Bay's lower class district. It was better for me anyways, I could concentrate on my own thoughts and plans far better than I could've if there had been dozens of people clamouring beneath me.

Not that thinking about my problem would really help much either. I had been searching for hours upon hours, and I knew for a fact that I was fast. Shunpo was practically teleportation, but without the need to plan out every single jump just to avoid suddenly appearing in a wall. I had covered almost all of the colossal monstrosity that was the dock's in a few hours, and still hadn't found them. The only place I hadn't searched was that brick factory, so the chances that they were in there were pretty high. Hopefully, by now the PRT would be gone from the factory, otherwise I would be forced to not only sneak into the factory, but keep the entire confrontation secretive. Not easy, especially when both Senbonzakura and Benihime were very… noticeable.

I disappeared in a hiss of displaced air, heading towards the red brick warehouse.

* * *

It was remarkably easy to get into the warehouse. Large, glass windows were lined around the first floor of the building. The windows would have stopped me from entering the building - Shunpo doesn't allow me to go through solid mass - if one of them hadn't been broken, giving me a way in. I used Shunpo to vanish from an adjoining rooftop and appear inside the building, perched atop a girder that sat just below the window. The first floor was littered with old, broken down machines, stripped of their machinery until just the shells remained.

There was a spiral staircase in the corner of the sprawling room, nearly invisible in the cloying darkness that was only broken by the small amount of light that came through the windows.

I Shunpo'ed over to the first step, drawing Benihime sealed form from my inner world and holding it casually by my side. Benihime's sealed state was a long, thin cane made of a dark red wood, topped with a blood red figurine of a woman dressed in a revealing kimono.

After a few seconds of holding the deadly blade in my hand, I re-sealed it, sending the blade back to my inner world where it would still be ready for combat, even without it being in my hand. After all, all I wanted was to know if they truly were funded by Coil, or if they were working independently. I didn't want to walk into this confrontation openly hostile, but I wasn't stupid enough to properly put my weapon away.

As I walked up the stairs they groaned and creaked, practically a blaring alarm alerting The Undersiders to my presence. But that was good - for the most part - I wouldn't be breaking any of the unspoken rules like I might've if I had just used Shunpo to appear on the second floor, entering like this would give the villains plenty of time to conceal their identities.

After a few dozen seconds I reached the top of the stairwell, sealed off by a large, slightly rusted iron door. I waited a few more seconds, both to give The Undersiders some more time to prepare themselves and to calm my own nervousness. I tried to adopt Senbonzakura's appearance, straight-backed with uncaring eyes, but I couldn't be certain how successful I was in the mimicry without some sort of mirror.

I could hear Tattletale yelling through the door, likely to the rest of The Undersiders. Although I couldn't quite make out what she was saying, most likely she was either telling them to hold their horses and not attack me as soon as I walked through the door, or telling them to go crazy and turn me into mincemeat. I readied a Chikasumi no Tate, just in case she decided to for for the second option.

Raising one of my hands, I placed it gently on the surface of the door and pushed. It was was harder to move than I had expected, but by reinforcing my skinny arm with some of the energy that flowed through my body I managed to shove the door open.

The room that I entered was large and open, furnished with a large, stuffed couch and oversized flat screen television that was still on, with cubicle like rooms running along the back wall of the lounge-like living space. To my surprise, the room was only inhabited by Tattletale, somehow fully costumed and masked, even though I had only given her a few seconds to get changed.

"Hullo there Regalia. Nice of you to drop in," snarked Tattletale. "You aren't here to fight, are you? Just want to have a little chat."

Her teammates glanced at her questioningly, but she ignored them in favour of keeping her gaze locked with mine. I absently noted the colour of her eyes, a pretty bottle green that practically sparkled in the dim lighting.

"Aren't much of a talker, huh?" she muttered under her breath.

"Who paid you to rob the bank yesterday?" I questioned, checking her reactions carefully in case they accidentally gave anything away. Tattletale's face twitched slightly with an emotion that I couldn't quite identify, all though I figured that it was most likely shock. The green eyed girl was staring at me so intently I started to wonder if one of the Slaughterhouse nine was standing behind me.

"What makes you think we were paid by someone else to rob the bank?" she questioned in a fashion that I nearly called absent-minded, almost like she was barely paying attention to the conversation.

"It makes sense," I replied stoically, trying not to let a hint of emotion show through either my face or body posture. Tattletale didn't answer, although she did sway in place slightly, holding a hand to her temple as if she was trying to stave off some sort of headache.

The room fell into a silence that I would have called awkward, if not for the subtle tension that filled the air. After all, we had been fighting on the opposite sides only yesterday, but now we were having a moderately polite conversation with each other, it was impossible to not feel slightly anxious.

"Hey, Regalia," said Tattletale. "You want to know who our boss is cause you want to go after him, right?" she questioned, her piercing stare being replaced with her characteristic cocky grin.

I didn't question how she could know such a thing, there was no point when it came to Thinker's, especially ones like Tattletale, who's powers seemed to be some sort of widespread information gathering. "Yes," I replied.

Her grin widened, stretching from ear to ear in a way that made her look like the Cheshire Cat. "Our boss is-

She was cut off by an explosion of wooden splinters and a mountain of exposed muscle and jagged bone spikes. One of Bitches dogs had burst out through an adjacent wall and started barreling towards me, snarling ferally as it stampeded towards me.

I swore internally and drew Benihime's blade in a flash of crimson light as Tattletale yelled "No!", drawing the straight, silvery blade from the cane and intoning the release phrase rapidly. The cane-sword was replaced with a tsuba-less, red tasseled that had no tip in a subtle flare of crimson energy.

"Chikasumi no Tate." The blood red shield appeared in front of me just before the monstrosity attacked, barely halting the beast as it barreled onwards, pushing both me and my shield backwards. I dug my sandalled feet into the ground, carving shallow grooves into the ground as I slid backwards rapidly.

Just before the creature crushed me against the wall I turned and swung Benihime vertically, producing a writhing arc of crimson energy with the command "Nake, Benihime" that burst through the wall in an explosion of dust and brick shards.

I leapt away from the dog and utilised one of the the technique Benihime had taught me last night, gathering what he had called reishi underneath my feet and using it as a platform to move along. The end result was Bitches monster falling to the rooftop as I stayed in place, standing on air in a casual defiance of physics as I held Benihime by my side loosely.

A sharp whistle pierced through the air and the other two beasts thundered out from the dust, growling at such volume that I felt my own chest vibrate. The first dog leapt at me from above, angling it's jaws downwards as the other assaulted me from the side with the wicked claws that it possessed.

I raised Benihime in preparation for another Nake, but my hand shuddered and twitched, loosening my grip on Benihime enough to make me drop the blade to the rooftop below.

Regent.

I used Shunpo to reappear above the charging beasts, but the sharp stinging pain along my side told me that I hadn't quite been fast enough. My mind flew back to the other technique Benihime had taught me yesterday, the Shakkaho. I held my hands straight in front of me and moved them into a claw-like grip, aiming for the beast nearest to me and sending my energy through my arms to coalesce in the centre of my hands.

"Hado 31 - Shakkaho" I intoned stoically.

A shimmering red orb came into existence before my outstretched hands, practically oozing pure energy, before it shot out at a rapid speed, crashing into the monster's backs and exploding with impressive force.

The dog crashed into it's companion with the sound of smacking flesh, howling in pain at the large, blistering burn that now covered it's back. The beasts fell in a ferocious plummet full of limbs and snapping teeth, bouncing off the lip of the roof and tumbling to the alleyway below, even as they roared in pain and anger.

A scream of unfiltered rage reverberated through the air, accompanied by a loud "NO!" from both Grue and Tattletale. Out from the cloud of dust and debris came a heavyset, auburn haired girl I assumed was bitch, aiming a gun at me.

Oh sh...

6 deafening cracks resounded through the air, signalling the arrival of 6 small balls of lead that could very well be the death of me. I disappeared in a lightning-fast Shunpo that still wasn't fast enough, lances of red-hot hurt lancing through my side. I glanced down panickedly to see blood quickly soaking into my cape outfit, standing out garishly against the monotone colours of my cape outfit.

I summoned Benihime to my waiting hand and used Shunpo to appear in the air in front of the furious villain. I flicked my wrist, cutting Bitches gun neatly into two segments, then brought my elbow into her face, the part of my mind that wasn't concentrated on the fight noticed that the terrible pain of the bullet wound had faded into a mild ache. Adrenaline maybe?

Bitches head barely rocked from my elbow strike, the girl bringing her snarling face into mine for a headbutt. I moved to the side, grabbed her by the back of her sweater and shoving her out of the hole in the wall, taking advantage of the forward momentum she had gained when she attempted to headbutt me. The dog that had been left on the rooftop ran over to her, supporting the villain with it's large body.

I turned to the Undersiders just in time to see a glass coffee table flying at my head. My eyes widened in shock, the unique battle strategy catching me by surprise. I took a step backwards then lashed out with Benihime, the projectile falling to the ground beside me with an explosion of glass and wood.

Both of my legs started to twitch and judder, the erratic movement of my legs destroying my balance and nearly bringing me to my knees. A masked but costumeless Grue dashed at me, grabbing my head between his two hands and bringing it down to meet his knee. I couldn't Shunpo fast enough and my face absorbed the hit, bringing stars and spots to my vision.

I slammed my first into the wound I gave him at the bank robbery, dirty and inelegant, but fist-fights aren't meant to be pretty. The darkness generating Undersider yelled in pain and staggered backwards half a meter, enough for me to Shunpo backwards about 20 metres and ready my next attack.

I held Benihime's blade out by my side horizontally and started to send as much of my energy as I could into the Zanpakuto as quickly as possible. Crimson energy coalesced around the edge rapidly, flickering around the razor sharp edge in a violent dance.

"Watch out!" screamed Tattletale, having realised the danger she and her teammates where in.

"Nake, Benihime." My calm voice rang out across the sky like a death toll, assuring The Undersiders of their defeat at my hands. The blood-red energy surged violently, following the lazy swing of my blade in an bloody arc of pure lethality, screaming through the air towards the Undersiders in a colossal wave of power.

My attack cleaved straight through the 2nd floor of the brick factory, slicing through brick and steel cleanly, although the following collapse of the building was anything but clean, the top half of the previously whole warehouse collapsing in on itself in a colossal cloud of dust and smoke.

I subtly switched out Benihime for Senbonzakura, the cherry blossom blade was faster and possessed far more agility, better for a high speed chase than the more versatile Benihime.

Three bus sized monsters burst from the cloud, dashing away across the rooftops opposite from my own, The Undersiders desperately grasping onto the dog's backs. I narrowed my eyes, it seemed as though The Undersiders had decided that they would stick to their usual escapism tactics.

I used a particularly powerful Shunpo to appear standing on the back of one of the beasts right next to Grue, who had been gathering darkness around his body for a smoke screen. The villain glanced up at me in shock just in time to receive the flat of Senbonzakura's blade to his throat, the muscular teen tumbling off the dog from his already precarious perch, sliding across the cement that made up the rooftop's floor until his momentum stopped.

The beast's long, prehensile tail lashed out at me, forcing me to disappear in a flicker of Shunpo. I reappeared barely a second later on the next rooftop along, holding Senbonzakura's flawless blade vertically in front of my body.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura." The blade dispersed into the typical beautiful sakura petals and I wasted no time, slashing at the air with a long, sweeping motion. The Petals followed my command as faithfully as they always did, the fine blades gouging deep gashes all over the dogs, rending apart flesh, bone and marrow with ease.

Two of the dog's tumbled head over heels, throwing Grue off his own mount and into the lip of the ceiling, but the third, largest monster had leapt over the majority of the attack, the airborne maneuver eating away at the distance between us at a ridiculous pace until it plummeting through the air directly at me.

I raised my free hand, feeling far more calm than was natural in the face of the terrifying, snarling demented monstrosity that was a scant few metres away from me. "Hado 4 - Byakurai," I declared without moving a singular muscle.

The White lightning flew from my outstretched fingertips, piercing straight through the feral beasts mouth and erupting from it's back with a burst of flesh and bone. I stepped to the side as it's limp body slid across the rooftop limply, lowering my smoking fingers and letting them hang loosely from my side once more.

Bitch had been thrown of her dog at some point, and was now raising herself off the ground using her hands. Her body was shuddering with pure, unrestrained anger, and as her eyes met mine I was taken aback by the sheer loathing etched into her face.

"You Motherfucker!" she screamed wrathfully. "I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you!" Bitch charged at me while bellowing hatefully, heedless of the fact that there was no possible way she could win a close range confrontation with me.

I moved my head aside her first punch, a vicious jab, then sidestepped the second, a savage hook. She gave up on trying to punch me and simply charged at me, roaring ferociously and throwing all of her body weight behind her mad rush. She stumbled when I disappeared from in front of her, then fell when I struck Senbonzakura's sheath across temple with a violent movement. I re-sealed my Zanpakuto wordlessly, confident that all of my enemies had been defeated, the sakura petals that had been gracefully floating in the air returning to my sword hilt in an elegant stream of pink petals that transformed into the razor-sharp blade that made up Senbonzakura's sealed state.

My form flickered once more, a quiet hum of air announcing my arrival on the other rooftop next to Tattletale. The blonde villain was moaning in pain, likely from the long, dirt-stained road rash that decorated all of her back, from the nape of her neck to the skin on her calves. I flinched slightly, it was easy to forget just how dangerous and lethal cape fights like these could get, even when your powers were far more effective when used with the intent to kill.

Tattletales eyes drifted up slowly, meeting my own through a haze of pain. Her lips tilted up in a slight smirk and her eyes returned to their usual sharp, confident form, although I could still see hints of pain in the crease of her brow. "Our boss," she wheezed slowly, "is Coil. He's got some kinda probability manipulation, 200 tinker-armed mercenaries he pays and the Travelers, who owe him some kind of debt."

I took in the information. I had suspected that he had been some kind of thinker or tinker, seeing as he never entered the action himself, but it was nice to have it confirmed. But what was really a shock was the fact that he had command over The Travellers, if I added them to The Undersiders it meant that he had over 10 capes under his lead, making him far more powerful than I had originally thought he would be. And although it was very useful to know this information, it still didn't explain one thing; why?

"Why tell me this?" I asked, hoping that my confusion wasn't showing on my face. Her growing smirk told me otherwise.

"Let's just say that," her head smacked against the concrete lightly, the blood-loss and shock forcing her into unconsciousness, "Coil isn't a nice…" She trailed of the end of her sentence almost peacefully, falling into the realm of morpheus that it could have been described as real sleep, if not for the horrific wounds that ran all across her back.

That little voice inside of me that I liked to call instinct screamed deafeningly, and I turned in time to see a huge, spike rocketing towards me at horrendous speeds, attached to the tail of one of Bitches dogs. The attack took me completely by surprise, my mind having settled down from combat mode, and I didn't react quickly enough to use Shunpo. I raised Senbonzakura's blade in a desperate attempt to block the bone spike. It worked to a certain extent, the serrated edge of the tail sliding along the length of Senbonzakura and digging a large, deep gash along the length of my left arm, blood gushing steadily from the wound and decorating the rooftop with a macabre pattern.

I cringed in pain and then scowled angrily at the dog, reappearing behind the beastly creature with a hiss of displaced air. Blood spurted wildly from the dog's side, a gaping, ruler-straight laceration that reached all the way to the insides of the beast. The monster collapsed, the most-likely fatal wound doing too much damage to the beast for it to attack me once more.I let Senbonzakura disperse into my inner world and held a hand over my wound, folding the loose cloth of my shikkahuso over itself and pressing the black fabric against the gushing wound in an attempt to stop the veritable river of blood that was flowing from my arm.

The surprise attack of the beast must have hit a vein or artery, the amount of blood flowing from my wound was bordering on ridiculous, especially for a moderately shallow, if exceedingly painful, cut. I glanced at the last dog but it didn't seem to be lucid, so I decided to ignore the body in favour of considering the unconscious bodies of The Undersiders.

I looked over to where Grue lay, skin just as torn and shredded as Tattletales was. He wasn't making any movements or producing any smoke, so I assumed that he was unconscious. With a quick shunpo I was examining Regent, who had been pinned under the body of the beast he had been riding. There was no beast anymore, only a dead rottweiler with a gaping hole in the middle of his forehead. Regent was groaning in pain, his mask almost entirely shattered, only covering the top left part of his face. I put Grue down next to him, but kept Tattletale on my back.

The blonde villain was leaking blood, rust coloured liquid seeping into the pure white of my haori and dripping down to the ground, enough so that I was starting to worry slightly about her mortality. She was my only source of information on Coil, as well as a living, breathing human being. Ideally, I would take her to Panacea - and I didn't know where the healing cape was - and get her healed. But that would mean me leaving The Undersiders alone, by themselves, and they had already shown their capabilities for running away, even If I had killed one of their mounts and incapacitated the other two.

I decided to compromise, launching a Byakurai into the sky as a makeshift flare for any PRT vans in the area, hoping that they would see it, investigate the rooftop and lock The Undersiders away, although I wasn't entirely certain that Coil wouldn't just break them out again. I hated to leave the capture of The Undersiders, my first real achievement as a cape, up to chance, but the chance to rescue Dinah was more important to me than my own standing in the cape scene.

My side started to suddenly burn agonisingly, the pain starting of slow but rapidly building into a climax of horrifically painful throbbing, each pulse sending out waves of agony through my midriff. The pain from my bullet wound mixed with the pain from the laceration on my arm, culminating into a wonderful cocktail of misery. Maybe my adrenaline had started to wear of, maybe one of my grab-bag abilities had stopped working. Whatever it was, the almost blinding pain I was feeling and the slight drowsiness I could already feel - a consequence of my blood loss no doubt - finding Panacea had just changed from being the optimal scenario to being a necessary one.

I vanished in the customary blur of Shunpo with Tattletale still on my back, heading towards the Wards headquarters in a desperate attempt to reach some form of healing before I collapsed on a rooftop somewhere.

My attempts were in vain, after only a handful of blocks my body lacked the strength to carry both me and Tattletale any further. My knees collided painfully with the cement as I hit the ground.

The last thing I saw before my world faded into darkness was a figure swathed in white and gold descending from the sky.

* * *

 _"She should have killed them."_

 _"Ya sure bout that flower boy? Way I see it, we wouldn't be anywhere near as close to Taylor if she had been turned into a heartless killer overnight because of her own powers."_

 _"Our power is far weaker in the hands of a wielder who lacks any killing intent. If you hadn't needlessly held back a part of her powers, a part of her very soul, then she would already be one of the most powerful combatants in the city, and that is discluding our Bankai's."_

 _"Don't bullshit me flower boy. You know just as well as I do that powers that affect the mind of the wielder are pretty much taboo here. We've got to release it slowly, make it seem like a natural change, otherwise everyone'll be on her ass faster than you can say Hado."_

 _"... You make a fair point. But if you try and hold Taylor back indefinitely, you will meet my blades."_

 _"Yeah yeah, threaten me all you want. You really think you could beat me if I pulled all the stops?"_

 _"With contemptuous ease."_

 _"Heh. Whatever. Right now, we need to help out our wielder, not bicker pointlessly over things that aren't important."_

 _"Aren't important?"_

 _"You get what I mean."_

 _"I still do not believe that you, or any others that deem themselves necessary, are needed for my wielder's eventual victory over him."_

 _"We'll see about that, flower boy, we'll see about that."_

 _"Irritating woman."_

 _"I do try."_

* * *

When I woke up, I was dressed in a hospital gown, surrounded by stark white walls and lights. The bed I was lying on was soft and downy, layered with thin white bed sheets that matched the walls and ceilings perfectly. There was a small table next to the bed, made of some sort of metallic material, but it had nothing on it, just a blank expanse of steely metal.

Wait. If I was in a hospital gown, did that mean my rescuer had seen my face? I panicked and clutched at my neck in desperation, relaxing when I felt the soft silk of my scarf still around my neck. Thank god for small mercies, I suppose.

I raised myself from my horizontal position slowly, trying not to aggravate my wounds. My body rose without any resistance or pain, I felt completely healthy, now what I would've expected after the injuries I had sustained. After all, I was pretty sure that the one thing I couldn't do with my powers was self regeneration. The only real difference I could feel between then and now was a slight weariness in my body and an extremely light headache.

Throwing off my covers, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up in one smooth motion. Or, at least, it had been smooth until the world decided to start spinning lopsidedly, the white room tilting until my entire perspective was completely askew. It was only now that I noticed the IV bag propped up next to my bed, a blood red wire leading into my wrist. Had my miraculous healing not extended to my blood loss?

I grit my teeth and held a hand to my forehead in a vain attempt to stop the dizziness. My body swayed from one side to the other, so I summoned Benihime's sealed form, planting the cane between my feet to try and stabilise my swaying world. I fell back on the bed after a few seconds anyway, but I kept Benihime in my hand, the part of me that wasn't struggling with intense dizziness wary of the fact that I appeared to be in completely unfamiliar territory.

A door opened from behind me, it would have been inaudible if not for the footsteps that accompanied it. I straightened my posture as much as I could, resting both my hands loosely on Benihime's dark wood as I turned my head slightly, examining the newcomers out of the corner of my eye.

The first into the room was Panacea, the white sleeves of her robes coated in a faint layer of blood. She was frowning in a slightly concerned manner at something, and it took me a few seconds to realise she was worried about me. Me. The last time anyone had actually cared about me apart from dad and my Zanpakuto was when Emma and I had still been friends. And that had not only been years ago, but was now well and thoroughly tainted by the Trio's existence, and Emma's important role in my torture. The Healer strode quickly over to my bedside, grabbing my wrist and closing her eyes, presumedly to check my health.

The second through the door was Miss Militia, a prominent Protectorate hero that was often seen accompanying Armsmaster. She was wearing a moderately tight military style uniform, with a stars and striped scarf hiding her face in a manner similar to my own. What was visible of her face possessed a dark middle-eastern skin tone, she had warm brown eyes and held her black hair back in a short ponytail in A dull green Grenade Launcher was held at her side with a strap, if I was remembering correctly, her power had to do with the creation and utilisation of gun's. Her expression was impossible to read - partly due to her scarf, partly due to my lack of social skills - but her body posture lacked any form of hostility.

The last to come in was Glory Girl. She was dressed as she had been at the Bank Robbery, replesendent in a white dress and cape, highlighting her pure white outfit with golden sandals and headpiece. She reminded me of Emma slightly, in both appearance and in the way they held themselves. Victoria Dallon was beautiful, with long blonde hair and deep blue eyes. But she held herself in a very confident manner, bordering on arrogance. She leaned against a wall, crossing her arms then staring straight at me. I had read somewhere that her flying brick powers were accompanied by some sort of emotional aura, one that either made you run in fear or bow down in awe. She didn't seem to be using it, as I couldn't feel any alien emotions within me.

Panacea spoke up from my side, startling me slightly. "Your wounds are completely healed. The only thing I couldn't fix was your blood loss, but I did just boost your blood production, so it shouldn't be much of a problem," she said softly.

"When I fell unconscious, I was transporting Tattletale personally. Where is she now?" I questioned, for now aiming to maintain the noble, elegant manner of speaking I used when in combat. I'd already let my act drop in front of Panacea, but I didn't really want to let down my sole social barrier in front of both Miss Militia and Glory Girl, neither of whom I felt entirely comfortable with. That wasn't to say that Panacea was much better, but we had at least interacted before.

Miss Militia spoke up from behind Panacea. "Tattletale is being held in one of our detainment facilities. Don't worry, we'll credit both her capture and the defeat of The Undersiders to you." Her voice was kindly, but was layered with strength and strong will.

But the fact that they already had Tattletale imprisoned was worrying for me. I needed to interrogate her more on Coil and his operations, and I couldn't do with the Protectorate looking over my shoulder. This operation with Coil had to be private, I didn't quite trust the Protectorate enough to assist me with it, especially when the life of a little girl could be on the line. There was no real logic behind my distrust, but my life had repeatedly drilled two things into my head. Authority and higher powers were simply untrustworthy, and as much as I would have liked to disclude the Protectorate from that rule, I had been tortured for over a year because of 'the systems' uselessness. The second? If you wanted something done, you had to do it yourself.

Panacea stood up then, bringing me out of my thoughts. "Miss Militia wants to talk to you a bit more," she said. "And Regalia…" she met my eyes, dull hazel meeting dull brown. "Thank you."

My eyes fluttered in surprise, caught off guard by the earnest gratitude Panacea was giving me. A few seconds of a slightly awkward silence passed, before I nodded my head to her in acceptance. The white-swathed healer took that as her sign to leave the room, Glory Girl opening the door for her sister while Panacea walked through.

Glory Girl turned to me before leaving the room, hesitating in an awkward manner that seemed extremely out of character for the New Wave heroine. "Thanks, I guess." She said, meeting my eyes as she finished the sentence.

"For what?" I asked, even though I was pretty sure I already knew what this was about.

She shrugged. "You more or less saved my sister at the bank robbery so… thanks. For being there, for saving my sister when I couldn't." She left the room before I could respond, closing the door behind her with a neat click.

I turned my head slightly to meet Miss Militia's eyes. "Well?" I said, then swore internally. That had come out a bit more hostile than I would have liked.

Miss Militia seemed to catch my mistake anyway, for her eyes crinkled in an amused way, eyes still as warm as ever. The gun-toting heroine turned and grabbed a chair that was sitting by the wall, scraping it over the floor and bringing it to rest by my bedside, sitting down on the chair and resting her hands on her legs.

"You encountered Armsmaster a few weeks ago, right?" She questioned. Her voice was kindly, but was layered with strength, and strong will.

"Yes," I replied. "Our confrontation was… an interesting experience."

Miss Militia chuckled ruefully for a few seconds, then settled down and rubbed her eyes. "Armsmaster can be a bit difficult to deal with at times, but he didn't mean to alienate you in any way. People skills aren't quite his strong suit." Her gun shifted then, dispersing into a black and green cloud of energy before forming into some sort of assault rifle, leaning against her chair instead of being held by a strap. Some kind of nervous tick maybe?

I stayed quiet for a few seconds to try and formulate my response in a way that wouldn't give offend either Miss Militia or Armsmaster. "As long as Armsmaster does not let our past issues taint any form of working relationship we partake in, I am willing to forgive." But not forget I finished in my head.

Miss Militia nodded her head. "I know that you've already refused to join the Ward's, but could you please listen to what I have to say?"

I hesitated for a second, but nodded slowly in agreement after the momentary pause.

"Independent heroes have a far higher death rate than Protectorate heroes do, with the exception of Endbringer attacks. You've already experienced this yourself, you came out of your fight with Oni Lee heavily wounded, and if Glory Girl hadn't brought you here, you could very well have bled out on that rooftop."

I hummed in acceptance. She was completely correct, almost all of my cape fights had ended up with me heavily wounded, even if I came out more or less on top most of the time.

Miss Militia met my eyes, and I was struck by the sheer worry and anxiety that was drawn all across her face. "If you were killed because you didn't feel like joining the Wards was an option, I don't think I'd be able to sleep at night. Brockton Bay is swarming with horrible people, humans who wouldn't hesitate to kill thousands if it meant getting closer to their eventual goals. If you join the Ward's, you won't just be safe, your family will be safe, and we can try and solve whatever problem it was that led you to trigger."

I suddenly decided that I truly liked Miss Militia. She genuinely cared about my own well-being, she genuinely cared that I was throwing myself at my enemies without heed or caution. This, I thought, is what a hero should be. Someone who cared about the people they fought for, who cared more about protecting others than capturing villains and fighting Endbringers. Someone who actually gave a shit about the people they fought for.

And the chance to finally exact my own vengeance on the trio for their years of torment was a wonderfully fulfilling idea. I couldn't even begin to image the satisfaction I would feel when Madison, Emma and Sophia were punished, but I didn't doubt it would be one of the best feelings I would ever feel in my life.

"I'll… consider it." My confirmation was a lie. Although the offer certainly seemed wonderful, I had sworn to myself that I wouldn't be joining the Wards. Not only was I uncertain what they would think and do about my exceedingly lethal powerset, but I felt like it would limit my potential. If I was a Ward, I would most likely be tied down by rules and regulations, constantly working to improve PR and pose for merchandise. But It wasn't only my personal thoughts on the matter that were discouraging me, but what I was feeling from my Zanpakuto.

It was the first time I had ever felt the two of them together agree on something, the first time I had proof that they actually knew of the existence of one another. And the two of them were radiating such intense feelings of disapproval and warning that it actually shocked me. I had no Idea why they were acting the way they were, but I trusted both of them completely, far more so than Miss Militia, even though the middle eastern heroine did seem trustworthy.

But I lied to Miss Militia about this for one simple reason: Tattletale. I wanted to talk to the heroine more but I needed more information on Coil, especially seeing how powerful Tattletale had made him out to be. If I gave a potential affirmative of my joining of The Wards then that gave me the chance to check out my surroundings, get a feeling of where I was. Then, hopefully, I would find a way to communicate with Tattletale without The Protectorate knowing about it.

"Would you like to meet them?" I was brought out of my internal ponderings by Miss Militia's question. I met her eyes again, taking in the way her eyes were crinkling in the corners. Was she smiling? "The Wards. They're waiting for you."

I blinked in surprise. That meant that I was probably in the Protectorate headquarters. I had expected it, practically planned for it, but still, to have it confirmed was a bit of a shock. Every child wished that they could enter the Protectorate HQ as a hero, to meet the Wards and the Heroes, and to have that childish dream suddenly brought true was an odd feeling.

"Of course," I said.

Miss Militia's eyes crinkled again, which I took to mean that she was smiling at me. "We've got your costume in the next room along, so if you could just follow me…" She pushed her chair back and stood up holding her hand out to me in assistance.

I smirked beneath my mask, then stood up from the bed without aid. Raising the caned form of Benihime, I struck it against the ground with an echoing thud and let my energy swirl around my skin. My costume appeared around my body in a display of bright crimson, flame like energy, the haori and shikkahuso as immaculately clean as ever. I brushed some imaginary dirt of the front of my haori, then raised my eyes to Miss Militia's face.

I had to refrain from cackling like Benihime when I saw her shocked expression, her eyes rapidly fluttering like a dog who had just had its nose poked.

"Well then? I don't know my way around the Protectorate headquarters, you're going to have to show me the way Miss." I snarked, welcoming the opportunity to feel like I was the dominant participant in a conversation for once.

"Oh! Yes, Regalia, please just follow me." She walked through the doorway, holding it open for me lik Glory Girl had done for Panacea.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply to try and calm my nerves. It didn't work, I could feel my heart beating just a little bit faster than it usually did, feel the flicker of nerves and anxiety dancing through my body.

Time to do what I hate most.

Talk.

* * *

 **There's a few quick things I'd like to mention before you all go off and enjoy the rest of you Christmas day.**

 **Just in case it wasn't clear in the actual chapter, I'm going to quickly go over how the fight actually started. When Taylor came in, only Tattletale was actually there, Bitch was walking her dog's and Grue was accompanying her, Regent going along with because he wanted to buy something (I'm not gonna bother coming up with what he was trying to buy.) They were walking back when Bitches dogs smelt an 'intruder' in the house, which was Taylor talking with Tattletale. Grue ordered Bitch to ramp up her dogs immediately and telling her to attack the 'intruder'. This was when the dog burst through the wall. Bitch, Grue and Regent then rode the second and third dogs up through the hole the first dog had made, grabbing their masks but nothing else. After that, the fight started up properly and The Undersiders had their asses handed to them.**

 **The only reason I had Taylor get wounded a second time by the dogs was because one single bullet wound probably wouldn't drive her into unconsciousness. This would force me to rewrite** _all_ **of the final scene, which is somewhere around 2,000 words long. I wanted to update** _something_ **for Christmas, so I had the dog surprise attack Taylor and wound her in a way that would cause plenty of blood-loss. Hopefully it doesn't seem cheap, but I likened it to the way that Nnoitra took out Grimmjow after the pussy cat's fight with Ichigo, he would have been able to dodge the attack usually if not for the fact that he wasn't paying any attention to his surroundings. It's the same here, but instead of anger polluting her combat senses, it's Taylor's own inexperience in combat, she let her guard down when her enemies weren't confirmed to be either unconscious or dead.**

 **That lethality thing I was hinting at in _Benihime's_ and _Senbonzakura's_ conversation? That's actually pretty big plot point, so go read over it again if you just skimmed over it the first time. I kept the hostility between the two of them going strong while giving them an actual subject matter to talk about, unlike the old version in which they just argued over whose fault it was that Taylor had her ass kicked (again). **

**I hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas. Or Hannukah. Or just a generally good winter break. Whatever float's your boat.**


	10. Scream 2-3

**Happy New Year!**

 **This chapter has come out a wee bit later than I would have liked, but between the Deadman Wonderland manga, Dark Souls lll (finally) and the Lookism webtoon (so fucking great)** **, I've been pretty distracted. But I managed to get this one out in time for the New Year, so I guess that's something to be proud of?**

 **Many thanks to Zaralann for doing the beta work for this chapter, it wouldn't have been the same without him.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach of Worm. They belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

As we walked through stainless steel hallways illuminated by bright white lights, I couldn't help but feel exceedingly skittish. It wasn't just my horrific social anxiety speaking, but also the fact that I was slowly but surely building a plan to deceive the _Protectorate_ , the _heroes,_ all because of a wild, barely feasible theory of mine that could easily be completely wrong. After all, these guys were the good guys, the heroes that fought people like Lung and Kaiser on an almost daily basis. By tricking and deceiving them, wouldn't that make me the villain?

I felt _Benihime_ soothe me, quieting my silent doubts with an almost playful touch. Whatever I did in life, I wasn't ever going to be alone. Even if I one day decided that I wanted to commit complete planetary genocide, my _Zanpakuto_ would be by my side, ever loyal. Tricking the heroes barely even registered on their moral compasses, hell, I was pretty sure that _Benihime_ would enjoy it.

The plan was pretty basic. I would talk to the Wards and Miss Militia, politely refuse their request that I join, then ask that I be allowed to see Tattletale. I reckoned that they'd probably allow it, seeing as I had been the one to catch her. From there, I didn't really know what to do. I guess I'd just have to improvise.

At the end of the hallway we neared a large, thick door that I would have mistaken for being part of the wall if not for the complicated security system attached to the wall next to it.

Miss Militia leaned forward and tugged her scarf down slightly, letting the small circular camera on the wall have unimpeded access to her eye. As the steel door started to open with a faint hiss of air, I started to drum my fingers along _Benihime's_ cane unconsciously. I forced my fingers to stop, showing some sort of nervous tick might display me as weak or untrained.

The Wards were all amassed together inside a large, windowless, dome shaped room with multiple doors leading out through the walls, dressed in their full costumes and masks. They were facing me and Miss Militia in a vaguely defined semi-circle, some leaning against walls or sitting in chairs, others simply standing straight and tall. _All_ of the Wards were here, including Shadow Stalker, who hadn't been at the bank robbery for whatever reason.

"Hello Regalia. It's good to see you again," said Aegis, dressed this time in his own personal costume and not Clockblocker's, a rust red ensemble with a silvery emblem shaped like replesendent on his chest.

I nodded my head slightly as a greeting. "Aegis." I left it at that, seeing as I didn't really know what else to say without sounding too commanding, like I was trying to pry, or just sounding like an uptight bitch.

"Hey," said Gallant with a hint of… was he nervous? "I'd just like to apologise for hitting you with that emotion blast at the bank robbery. I forced you into wounding Hellhound when you didn't want to." He smiled guiltily at me. "I'm sorry about that."

Staring right at Gallant with half-lidded eyes, I contemplated his apology. I had forgotten that I had more or less cut down Bitch, which had been more or less Gallant's fault. It didn't bother me in the slightest, but I suppose it might have been a pretty big issue for Gallant himself, especially if he was unused to seeing violence like that. I was pretty sure a part of my power desensitized myself to violence and blood, otherwise I doubted I would even _dream_ of using _Senbonzakura's_ shikai.

"I won't hold you accountable for your mistake, Gallant," I reassured after around a dozen seconds of contemplation. It was only after I finished my sentence that I realised I had spoken to Gallant as if I was his superior, reprimanding him while reassuring him.

Honestly, fuck the Trio for ruining my social skills.

He nodded to me, seemingly unoffended. Someone scoffed in derision, but I didn't have time to register the derisive sound before Kid Win asked a question.

"That's your new sword?" He questioned with an almost eager tone to his voice. I glanced down at _Benihime's_ caned form in contemplation.

Although it would have been ideal if I had managed to only use _Senbonzakura_ during my fight with the Undersiders, they had forced my hand at the very beginning of the match, obliterating any chance I may have had to conceal my own ability to use multiple _Zanpakuto._ Any opponents I would be facing in the future would most likely be wary of any tricks I might try to pull, instead of believing that I only had access to _Senbonzakura._ It would have been a useful secret to possess for my eventual fight against Coil, but winning against the Undersiders had been more important than concealing my blade for an advantage that I might or might not get.

I decided to respond obscurely to his probing question.

"It is." I admitted, but didn't explain my powers any further.

The Wards knowing that I had more than one _Zanpakuto_ was an irritation, but letting them know that I could create an almost endless amount of _Zanpakuto_ if I so pleased, putting me at a potential power level potentially above even the Triumvirate was a definite no go.

The room fell into an awkward silence, the only sound in the room being my index finger tapping a slow beat on the head of _Benihime_ , the quiet sound seeming almost deafening in the clumsy quiet that had followed my statement. Vista hopped of her chair and walked up to me with a smile.

"It's nice to talk to you outside of a fight," she said, raising her hand up for a handshake.

Taking one of my hands off _Benihime,_ I gripped her hand with moderate strength.

"And you too," I said. Her greeting was like the first small trickles of a flash flood, all of the Wards suddenly decided to greet me with their own cute little introductions, even though none of them actually moved from their positions, whether they were standing, sitting or leaning against a wall.

"I'm Kid Win. Resident tinker of the Ward's."

"Gallant. It's nice to meet you."

"The names Clockblocker. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue."

"Shadow Stalker." The crossbow wielding Ward's voice sounded familiar, angry, terse and irritable, but I put those thoughts to the back of my mind as Clockblocker spoke once again.

"So. How'd you get injured that badly if you kicked The Undersiders collective asses so easily?"

I clicked my tongue in irritation, more at myself than at Clockblocker. After all, I would have come out of the fight with only a bullet wound If I had just been paying a bit more attention to my surroundings.

"I was careless," I replied tersely.

Someone snickered. I turned my head to look at Shadow Stalker, the here was shaking her head mockingly, chuckling derisively to herself.

"You got taken out by one of those weak fucks because you were _careless?_ " She stopped laughing and met my eyes from behind her mask. "Weak little bitch."

I heard Miss Militia reprimand Shadow Stalker sternly from behind me, saw Shadow Stalker raise herself from her slouched position and growl out a threat. But the world felt like it was underwater, everything was moving so _slowly_ and everything sounded like it was being said miles and miles away, I was barely registering the world around me, too stunned, too completely and utterly _horrified_ for my sluggish mind to comprehend.

Sophia Hess was Shadow Stalker. Sophia Hess was a Ward. _Sophia Hess was a fucking hero._

My very soul roared in _fury_. The energy that flowed through my veins rapidly swelled with a a cacophonous crescendo, rising to the surface of my skin tainted with such unfathomable wrath that my body itself started to glow with a dark, bloody crimson.

My vision started to shake violently, the air taking on a grainy tint as my power flooded through the space surrounding me. Bloody crimson energy flickered around my skin, dancing gracefully around my body in complete opposition to the rage I was feeling.

The Wards and Miss Militia were pressing their backs against the walls of the room, bodies and faces laced with stark terror in the face of the furious _pressure_ I was unleashing from my body. Sophia herself was on her backside and pressed up against the wall, she had fallen backwards and scrambled away from me as soon as my energy was unleashed.

"Sophia Hess." The black-clad bitch choked in both shock and fear. The words I spoke didn't feel like my own, they were too flat, too emotionless, too fucking _uncaring_ to truly be coming from my own throat. But I was so outraged, so furious by the fact that _Sophia Hess is a fucking hero_ that I didn't even care.

I adjusted my grip on _Benihime_ and drew the blade from the cane sluggishly, letting the unnatural shrieking that the silvery metal released echo through the room. The blade itself was wreathed in bloody red energy, the formless colour writhing around the blade and oozing murderous intent.

"Regalia!" Miss Militia's voice was weak, fraught with anxiety and fear, but she reached over to me anyway and put her hand on my shoulder, gripping it tightly. "Please stop whatever you're doing! I'm certain that we can resolve this calmly, if you'd just calm down a bit!"

" _She,"_ I narrowed my eyes at the bitch, "was the cause of my trigger event,"

Miss Militia inhaled sharply, but didn't take her hand off my shoulder.

"We can still talk this out, _please_ don't do anything that you'll regret later." she pleaded.

I hesitated then, my roaring anger subsiding slowly, the pressure that I had been exerting on the very air itself gradually receding. I looked around the room, taking in the Wards, gasping for breath and pressing themselves into the wall. As far away from me as possible. I had scared, no, _terrified_ them. Heroes that had fearlessly gone up against blood-stained villains on countless occasions, scared of _me._

Sophia launched herself at me, her clenched fist colliding with my face as she snarled furiously. I staggered backwards, _Benihime's_ blade blurring upward even as Sophia launched another fist at me.

Blood spurted.

Sophia Hess, the bitch who had tormented me for over a year, wailed in agony as she pawed at her blood covered stump, her gloved hand lying splayed on the floor in a grotesque of blood. My eyes widened in horror as the Wards yelled and ran towards us, to take me out or help Sophia, I didn't know. I disappeared into a Shunpo even as Miss Militia turned to face me in distress.

My form blurred through the Wards headquarters, flashing through dozens of identical hallways in the space of half a minute. I came to a rest in a hallway that overlooked the ocean, large glass windows making up most of the wall, and started to slow down and _think,_ trying to quell my rapidly rising panic. I had just cut off Sophia's hand.

Boom.

Snap.

One moment her hand was attached, the next it was lying on the floor, covered in blood. I had panicked, reacted on instinct, and permanently crippled one of the Wards. Fuck, I could very well have just permanently removed any chances she had of being a hero, seeing as she used crossbows as her primary weapon.

But didn't she deserve it? What I had just done to her was terrible, but was it really worse than a year of unrelenting, merciless torture? Sure I may have just destroyed her hero career, but didn't she _fucking deserve it_?!

Morality aside, I had certainly just ruined any chances of being accepted into the Wards. Not that I would have joined if they had accepted _Sophia Hess_ of all people, but still. I hadn't only ruined my potential place in the Wards, but I had also most likely ruined any chance of having a good relationship with the Protectorate.

Fuck.

 _Fuck._

I had to get out of here. Sooner than later. But I needed to retrieve Tattletale, I couldn't very well leave her here now, there was no way in hell the Protectorate would trust me after what I had just done, and I sure as hell didn't trust them after seeing who they let into their hero teams. But how to do it? I had no clue where Tattletale might be right now, and even If I did? How would I manage to communicate with her without being seen by the Protectorate? How would I not get thrown in prison for crippling a hero?

 _Fuckedy Fuckedy Fuck._

"Hey." I jumped in fright, spinning around with _Benihime's_ shikai in hand. Velocity was leaning casually against the wall, the speedster clad in his blindingly red costume. "We need to have a little chat about what happened back there." He held his hands up when I raised _Benihime_ in wariness. "Nothing bad. We just want to _talk_. We saw what happened during your visit to the Ward Quarters and, if you ask me, it was self defense on your part."

I lowered Benihime slowly, letting the blade transform into it's cane form once it was clear to me that Velocity was not, in fact, hostile. But I keep my right hand open and outstretched slightly, ready for any sort of hostility, even though that readiness was what had gotten me into this mess in the first place. "Very well then," I replied. "Lead the way."

* * *

Director Piggot was very close to being morbidly obese.

The woman was sitting behind a futuristic glass desk, chubby hands laced together in front of her. The director of Brockton Bay's Protectorate was wearing a navy blue suit that strained to restrain her rotund stomach, accompanied by a remarkably ugly bleached blonde bowl cut. Yet despite her comedic appearance, I couldn't help but feel intimidated. The woman held an unbelievably intimidating presence about her, I didn't doubt that she was a _terrifying_ woman when enraged.

"Regalia. I'd like to apologise personally for any past harms that Shadow Stalker has committed unto you, and I'd like to assure you that Shadow Stalker will be punished severely for her actions." The woman was very nearly glaring at me as she said it, taking away any form of sincerity that the apology may have held. There was also the fact that this was one of the individuals who had let Sophia Hess into the wards, potentially one of the reasons as to why Sophia had been able to get away with everything she did to me, I doubted that I could trust a word that came out of her mouth.

"Tattletale is being held in one of your cells. I want to talk to her." I ignored her apology, as rude as it may have seemed, and decided to get straight to the point.

Piggot's brow furrowed ever so slightly.

"I can't let you do that right now Regalia. There are multiple items that we need to iron out, such as both yours and Shadow Stalker's punishment," she said with a semi-polite tone that didn't really match her eyes.

I recalled what I had done when meeting The Wards, the way I had brought my energy out through my skin into the air, the way that I had pushed down on everything until I was putting pressure on the space around me. I did that now but too a much smaller scale, just barely releasing enough energy through my skin to not disperse harmlessly into the air. I doubted Piggot even noticed, at least I hoped that she didn't notice my subtle use of my powers. I doubted the consequences of such a thing would be very pleasant for me.

I met Piggot's eyes and flared my power slightly, still making sure to keep it as quiet and small as I could without making it weak.

"I could very easily inform the public of Shadow Stalker's involvement in my trigger. Please do remember that, Director," I warned.

Piggot narrowed her eyes at me. We sat there for nearly a minute in a tense silence, long enough that I started to consider simply using Shunpo to escape the room, find Tattletale and get the hell out of dodge. The Director finally responded, giving me a curt nod before pressing a button on her desk and leaning over it.

"Tell Dauntless and Armsmaster to get over here _now."_ I didn't miss the fact that she had chosen her melee based heroes to watch over me. After all, almost all of my powers were far stronger when I had the space to maneuver and use the techniques to their full potential.

"Regalia." I locked eyes with the Director, noting her slight scowl and narrowed eyes. "We will be having _words_ about this later."

I rose from my seat without breaking eye contact, opening the door and leaving the room with a fluttering of white cloth. Armsmaster and Dauntless were both waiting outside the door, respective polearms gripped tightly. Armsmaster nodded to me and turned around, walking up to a door set into the side of the hallway. I followed him, standing next to the imposing blue hero and resting my hands on _Benihime's_ cane.

The doorway opened with a soft _ding_ , revealing a spacious, box-shaped room. An Elevator, then. I was followed inside by both Dauntless and Armsmaster, the two polearm wielding heroes standing on either side of me like a pair of particularly intimidating bodyguards. I couldn't help but fidget slightly, resorting to tapping _Benihime's_ head as a way to quell my nerves. In the next few minutes, I would be breaking the law and assisting in Tattletales escape, even though my intentions were good. In the next few minutes, I could very well have to clash blades with the two of the most prominent heroes in Brockton Bay, unless I magically discovered a way to use instantaneous long-range teleportation as I was talking to Tattletale.

I was surprised when the doors opened once again, had we arrived? I hadn't felt the elevator move. Tinkertech was incredible. The hallway we stepped into was lit by bright, clean white lights set into the ceiling, illuminating a lengthy hallway. Along both walls were the cells. Instead of bars or a door, each cell had three walls, the last which faced into the hallway being made of some kind of transparent light blue energy instead of cement or steel. Only one of them was occupied, although I could only see inside about 6 of the cells.

Tattletale leaned forward on her bunk with a smirk, knitting her hands in front of her.

"I do just love visitors. It gets so _boring_ down here, and you always find a way to spice things up, butterfingers." Her lips parted to reveal her teeth in a predatory grin. "At least your clumsiness served you well this time. How's Shadow Stalker?"

"Don't waste any of my time with your irritating prattling." I wasn't in the mood for any of the thinker's bullshit, especially seeing that I was just about to save her ass.

Tattletale's eyes widened suddenly, before narrowing intensely and focusing in on me. I assumed that her power had just informed her of my makeshift plan, or maybe just the fact that I was about to get her out of prison. Whatever the case, it was time to move.

In a manner that I hoped was out of view of both of the heroes, I held a hand out in front of me and summoned a burning ball of _Shakkaho_ , making certain to keep the energy unstable enough to spark and crackle, but not so unstable that It would actually explode in my face.

Tattletale snickered.

"So. Why'd you come all the way down here just to visit little old me?" I was fairly certain that she had caught on to my impromptu plan and was stalling, but this was Tattletale.

I couldn't be certain of anything around her, her power only added to that unpredictability. I decided to commit to the conversation anyways.

"It should be child's play for a Thinker such as yourself." My voice was calm and collected, concealing the nerves I was feeling within. I tinkered with the energies that made up the throbbing ball of energy, molding the imbalance so that the instability sat on the side facing me.

Tattletale leaned back against the wall and put her hands behind her head.

"I think I've got a pretty good idea," she said with a smug grin.

I made a sound of irritation, then chucked the unstable _Shakkaho_ over my shoulder at the heroes. I ignored their sounds of shock and summoned a _Chikasumi No Tate_ to shield me from the blast using _Benihime's_ rapidly unsealed Shikai. The energy blast exploded tremendously, smoke and flame barely halted by my blood red shield. The smoke covered the hallway, clogging my breath with it's thick, sluggish texture.

I concentrated on the energy shield in front of me, raising _Benihime's_ tip to the surface of the flickering energy and spinning my wrist with a quick motion, carving a basketball sized glowing crimson circle on the transparent surface.

"Tsuppane, _Benihime."_

The use of _Benihime's_ third technique was a monumental risk on my part. The technique was meant for nullifying the attacks of my opponents, the only skill required for the technique was perfect timing and the ability to recognise what kind of attack it was. It technically could have the ability to disable the energy shield, but it could just as easily fail, hell, it could even backlash and damage me.

Both my luck and the technique held true. The energy shield flickered and died, freeing Tattletale from her cage. The villain grinned triumphantly and pushed herself off the wall.

"I assume that your has informed you of the quickest way to escape?" The purple clad jester looked at the ground beneath our feet.

"Well, we are on the lowest floor of the building…" She said expectantly.

"You're joking."

"Nah."

I put my hand on Tattletales shoulder and used Shunpo, moving as far down the hallway as I could, hoping to put some distance between us and the heroes before I attempted to escape. Tattletale was swaying back and forth, the rapid travel apparently not sitting well with her state of being. I ignored this irrelevant fact and adjusted my grip on the villainess, gripping her arm tightly enough to make it uncomfortable, and brought the slightly shorter girl close to my concealed face. When I spoke, I flooded the room with my energy, only slightly enjoying the way that Tattletale's face paled with fear.

"I'll ask once more. You are _certain_ that this is the best method of escape?"

The blonde-haired villain nodded once.

It would have to do.

My eyes widened suddenly as I looked over Tattletales shoulder.

" _Chikasumi No Tate,"_ I whispered harshly, the crimson hexagon coming into existence just barely in time to block the crackling white electricity that had been launched from the smoke. My other hand rose, a roiling red orb coming into existence after a few seconds of concentration.

"Hado 31 - Shakkaho." The red orb rocketed into the smoke and exploded somewhere in the heroes midst, far away enough that I couldn't see how much damage it had done (hopefully very little) to the Protectorate heroes. I lowered my blades tip to the ground, holding it a foot to the right of my foot.

"Kamisori, _Benihime,_ " I said as quietly as possible. The crimson wave that emanated from my blade was practically identical to the Nake attack, writhing blood-red energy oozing from my blade and releasing a truly scary amount of bloodlust.

But although they were identical in appearance, they most certainly were not the same technique. I spun in a circle, drawing _Benihime's_ tip around me and Tattletale as I did so. The crimson wave cleaved straight through meters of steel, leaving behind a line so fine it looked like it had been drawn with a pencil.

The steel circle I had carved in the ground fell succept to the laws of gravity, plummeting down into the sea with us along with it. I glanced upwards to see yellow foam oozing slowly out of the hole we had just left. I had assumed that the containment foam wouldn't be launched with the heroes in the room, but I suppose they had lost their patience and fired away, only for me to escape at the last second. Which meant that Armsmaster and Dauntless would have just been trapped in containment foam, and it hadn't even caught me.

Which meant that Armsmaster and Dauntless would be _especially_ pissed off. At me.

 _Shit_.

"REGALIA!" Screamed Tattletale.

I had been so caught up in my own thoughts that I had forgotten about our location, plummeting heedlessly towards the glowing blue forcefield that encircled the Protectorate headquarters. I hugged Tattletale tight to my body, ignoring the instinctive blush I felt from such an intimate action, and gathered the reishi underneath my feet to form a platform. Tattletale yelped in shock at the sudden stop, bringing a minute smirk to my face. It would seem like our sudden drop had destroyed Tattletales usual cocky composure.

But I now had a problem. Namely, the huge forcefield that surrounded the entire base. None of my techniques had the ability to pierce, break or bypass the forcefield in anyway. Certainly, I could attempt to use the Tsuppane technique once again, but I had serious doubts that I could correctly the precise technique on such a large scale without failing in some way.

I glanced at Tattletale, still clutching into me in an ever so slightly nervous manner, to see if she had anything that I could use. She shook her head in negative. I used Shunpo to appear right next to the forcefield, prepared to attempt to use the Tsuppane technique anyway. I was committed to my scheme now, and I didn't doubt that my consequences would be vicious if I was caught before I could make my escape. Raising _Benihime_ and leaving the tip a few centimetres from the forcefield (I wasn't certain if it would shock me or not), I prepared to try and force tonnes of energy into a technique that only used a small amount

 _Wait just a second Taylor._

I blinked in surprise - My Zanpakuto didn't usually speak to me when I was out and about - but lowered the blade in spite of that.

 _Yes Benihime?_

 _I can get you out of this pickle you've found yourself in, but…_

 _But?_

 _It's gonna hurt like a bitch. A big, bad, painful bitch._

 _Do it._

 _...Well! I warned ya._

I grunted sharply and brought my free hand to my head, dropping _Benihime_ without even realizing it. An _excruciating_ agony had suddenly appeared, bringing with it waves of fresh, red-hot agony that I couldn't help but liken to the horrific gash I had given myself while fighting Oni Lee. The pain wasn't like a stab or bullet wound though, it was clumped in my head in an obtuse, almost rounded sensation that felt like someone had shrunk one side of my brain and grown the other, causing sluggish waves of pulsing agony that dragged its way through my skull like a pus-oozing slug.

Blood seeped from both my nostrils, dripping down the front of my face, seeping into my mouth and decorating the front of my black shikkahuso in a ghastly rust red. But through the pain, I could feel the technique that _Benihime_ had implanted within my skull, just waiting to be used.

"Jeez. You keep pulling shit like this, you'll kill yourself off before any villains can get a shot at it," snarked Tattletale unhelpfully.

I ignored Tattletales quips and held my hand out to the side, focusing all of my attention on the technique I was about to use. A long, white ribbon shot out from my sleeve, coiling loosely around both me and Tattletale in a large, open, cocoon like shape. The white fabric hung loosely in the air for a second, then started to spin, slowly at first but building to a rapid crescendo.

I focused in on myself, images of locations flashing through my minds at rapid speeds, almost all being discarded as soon as I thought of them. I would need to arrive somewhere hidden, somewhere where the Protectorate wouldn't be able to find me.

The Boat Graveyard?

Maybe, but it was easy to find, and even if the Protectorate didn't usually monitor it, they would probably be searching the entire city for me, which ruled any areas in the open out. The only place that I knew off that almost certainly wasn't monitored by the Protectorate was my own house.

There were a handful of issues with this situation, namely the small but possible chance that my dad was currently inside my house, but it was the best possible solution that I could come up with right now. But before we vanished, there was one last thing that I wanted to do.

"Tattletale?"

"Yeah? Oh fuck m-" I covered the villains mouth and nose, wasting valuable seconds to send her into firm unconscious. There was no way in _hell_ that I was putting an ounce of trust in Tattletale, and god knows what she would do if she knew not only where I lived, but also what my dad looked like. No, she would be staying unconscious until I knew how to question her safely and secretly. I checked that she was knocked out - she was slumped in my grip and her head was lolling to the side, so I assumed that she was - then set her over my shoulder in a one-handed fireman's carry.

With that done, I decided to invoke the technique and get the hell out of dodge before something else happened to make my life miserable.

" _Sentan Hakuja."_

We disappeared in a flash of white light.

* * *

 **But author, you may ask, why did Taylor capture Tattletale if she was just going to break her out again? This makes Scream 2.2 seem entirely pointless!**

 **Well I'm glad (kinda) that you asked. First of all, Taylor's original plan was never to capture the Undersiders and put them behind Protectorate bars. All she cared about was trying to fill in the holes in her theory and help to save Dinah, even though she was perfectly happy to go into combat with the Undersiders anyway. It just wasn't her original goal. But even so, Taylor most likely wouldn't have had a problem with questioning Tattletale and attacking Coil with the backing of the Protectorate. That was, of course, until she discovered Shadow Stalker's identity. Taylor has had some** _ **unbelievably**_ **shitty experiences with authority and 'the system.' Learning that Sophia Hess was a hero of all things, the girl who had literally shoved her into a locker stuffed with enough shit to classify as a natural bio-hazard, really just eradicated any form of faith/trust she had previously held with the heroes, which was already under strain considering her issues with Armsmaster (ignoring my own shitty characterization.) After this, she didn't want the Protectorate to know about her investigation into Dinah, for more of an emotional reason than a logical one,** _she doesn't trust them._ **From now on, she's going to want pretty much nothing to do with them, putting it lightly. In a roundabout way, they are responsible for why Sophia and co.'s bullying went on for so long, even if they didn't directly have a hand in things. After all, who are you going to want to punish - the Ward, a pretty, popular girl who's going to grow up to be a hero and helps to keep the gangs in school down, or a plainfaced, depressed teenage loner with seemingly no redeeming/interesting features (even though we all know that's bullshit.)**

 **And there is also, of course, the question, how did she use the Sentan Hakuja if she can only have one kido per sword? Well, after discussing with my beta, I decided that I was more or less going to discard the kido per sword rule. Now please put down the pitchforks and let me explain. In this story, Taylor has the powers of a Shinigami. This means that she can do everything that they can, kido included. But, of course, she has to learn how to perform and use these fancy spells. But she also has a shortcut. Depending on which sword she is using, certain kido are far easier to utilize. For example, Taylor would still be able to use Kurohitsugi without Kyoka Suigetsu, bet she would require the incantation, and the spell would be weaker than if she was using Kyoka Suigetsu as she was performing the kido. If we go back to the bank fight, Taylor used Byakurai without learning it, directly contradicting my own rule. But because Byakurai is such a low level kido, and because it's so closely linked to Byakuya and Senbonzakura, this shortcut applied, and she could use the kido without actually learning it. In this chapter, instead of teaching Taylor the kido, Benihime** _forced_ **the spell into her head, which had obvious repercussions. That won't be happening again, unless Taylor is caught in a _really_ extreme situation. **

**Holy shit snacks, that AN was far longer than I expected it to be.**

 **Thank you for reading, and H** **appy New Year to you all.**


	11. Scream 2-4

**Finally got around to updating. All I can say is that school's a bitch and writer's block is even more of a bitch, and when they come together it creates one big, bitchy sandwich of not getting around to writing that one chapter that you kind of need to finish.**

 **But on the plus side of things, I'm pretty sure With Grace and Elegance has gained about 100 faves and follows since I last updated. Which is pretty damn great. Now if only I could get my readers to post a few more Reviews...**

 **Thanks to Zaralann for being my beta. He was as much help as always.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach or Worm. Both belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

I had stashed Tattletale in my closet.

In my defense, secure spaces to stash a sly snake of a Villainess weren't exactly plentiful in the Hebert household. There was the basement, but that was too far away from me, and there was always the chance that dad just might decided to walk down their one day and discovera tied up teenager in the basement. I had decided to just make do with what I had, and secure the thinker in a place where she was least likely to do harm. I had stuffed her into the back corner with her wrists, elbows, knees and feet tied together with plastic zip ties and an old t-shirt stuffed into her mouth as a makeshift gag. I had also manifested Senbonzakura and pinned it through her costume and into the floor just barely missing her crotch. Rather vile, yes, but I figured that if having your vagina sliced open didn't discourage you from trying to escape, nothing would.

After I had finished stuffing Tattletale away, Dad had walked into the house. We had dinner, where conversation was sparse but still comfortable. After the locker had happened, we had finally started to mend our fraying bond from mom's sudden death. Progress was slow, but I hoped that eventually our relationship would return to what it had been, even though my double life would most likely forever hang over my head. I didn't dare tell dad of my cape identity, mostly because I knew that he would _insist_ that I joined the Wards, something that wouldn't work out, especially after the recent fiasco.

I had gone to sleep right after dinner, claiming that I was tired after a tough day at school. Technically, only half of the statement had been a lie. Didn't really make me feel any better about myself, or my complete willingness to lie to the one human being left who gave a damn about me.

Now I was sitting on the sparse grass of my inner world, having entered the strange realm as soon as I fell to sleep. The wind was gusting once more, the seas frothing violently as they crashed against the cliff. I knew that this showed that I was angry, furious, apparently, but about what? I wasn't angry right now, I didn't even feel the slightest bit irritated. The only thing that I could think of to be angry of was…

 _Sophia._

I had barely finished my thought before the wind picked up, reaching almost gale-like forces in an instant. The grass I was seated upon writhed chaotically, the cherry blossom tree that signified Senbonzakura shuddering so violently that it was practically a blur. But the air didn't even touch me, my usually billowy robes lying flat on the grass. I frowned perturbedly, hopelessly confused.

"Taylor. Stop this."

I turned to look at Senbonzakura _._ "I'm not causing..." I gestured to the air around me. "... _whatever_ this is."

The black haired man sighed.

"Yes you are. These winds signify your rage, your _fury_ at the injustice that has been wrought upon you."

I frowned once more.

"I'm not angry."

His gaze shifted, instead of looking at me, it felt as if he were looking _through_ me, contemplating some deep, mind-boggling puzzle that he had no idea how to solve. After minutes of the wind roaring through my airs, Senbonzakura sighed once more, and started to speak.

"It most likely started when your friend betrayed you. You were confused, scared and hurt. The girl who had been by your side for everything, a sister in all but blood had thrust a blade through your back. From there it only escalated, your life slowly but surely losing any happiness it once possessed."

I scowled at the reminder of The Trio, but tried to keep the hostility from my tone - Senbonzakura hadn't done anything wrong.

"Your point being?"

"Throughout your life, you have hidden your emotions. From your father, because you didn't want to burden a grieving man with the seemingly petty troubles of his daughter. From The Trio, because you were taught that the best way to deal with torment is to grit your teeth and bear it stoically. And from yourself, because you couldn't bear how sad and pathetic your own life had become, because you didn't want to believe that your reality now consisted of never-ending suffering." He tore me down without a lick of remorse, he could have been squashing an ant underneath his foot for all the care he showed on his face. "And that is what happened today. In reality, there were many, _many_ ways you could have gained the information you wanted without directly confronting the Protectorate. Instead, you chose to physically attack two heroes and broke out a prisoner you had just helped capture." He said tonelessly.

"You really expect me to trust the Protectorate? After what happened? After they let Sophia Hess into the Wards?" I spat out with far more anger than I had intended.

"Yes."

"What?"

"You must be able to cast aside your own emotions Taylor. You have been given an incredible gift, a power that will let you rise to be one of the greatest warriors ever known. But If you let petty, inconsequential emotions get in your way, then you will never truly reach those heights."

"It hasn't even been a minute since you said that I have been hiding my emotions for my entire life! I was _perfectly_ calm when I made my decision yesterday, damn it, _you were there!_ I did what was best! There were no fucking feelings that clouded my fucking judgement!"

"Then why are you so angry right now?"

I blinked in shock. I had risen from my seat and grabbed the front of Senbonzakura's scarf without even noticing, bringing him down to eye level with me and releasing my energy as I did so.

 _What the hell?_

My blade gestured to the storm around us.

"These winds came into being when the girl's identity was revealed, and haven't dissipated since. You were furious when you defied the Protectorate, and you are furious now."

I let go of Senbonzakura's scarf and stepped backwards, staring at my hands even as my mind processed what he was saying. I barely noticed my scarf falling down around my face, coiling around my neck softly.

"Even though you hide your emotions, does not mean that you are in control of them. They bubble beneath the surface, influencing your mind and decisions without your realization. They tainted your thoughts earlier today, causing you to ruin your relationship with the Protectorate."

I stared at him, confusion etched all over my uncovered face.

"But… you do the same. You hide your emotions, you're wearing a stoic mask all the time."

Senbonzakura stared at me once more, then massaged his forehead in irritation.

"Sometimes, I forget that you are a still a human teenager."

"Which is relevant _how_?" I questioned.

He met my eyes.

"I do not simply _hide_ my emotions Taylor. I do not pretend to be Noble. I _am_ Noble. Rage. Despair. Joy. I let none of these emotions enter my heart, true Nobility are above such things." His eyes softened and he placed his hand on my shoulder. "You are not, of course, true Nobility. Not yet anyway, so I do not expect such a mindset from you all the time. But when venturing out as Regalia? You must raise yourself above your emotions. Today, you let your rage pollute your mind, and that is unforgivable."

"And pretty boy isn't just talking about regular ol' fights." I spun in surprise, I had assumed that it was just me and Senbonzakura in the inner world, at least just for this conversation. But there Benihime was, her face lacking her usual lopsided smirk. The cheeky humour was there, but laced heavily with an almost deadly solemnity. "Your hometown isn't the nicest of places. You got dragonic drug lord on one side, a racist, sword throwing Nazi on the other, and you just slapped the good guys across the face. You _cannot_ afford to show any form of weakness, or your enemies will pounce on you faster than you can say ' _Tensa Zangetsu with Shunpo_ '."

"Tensa Zangetsu?"

"Nevermind that. Point is, you can't afford to be seen as some weak little teenager playing in a sandpit with the big boys. Pretty much all the independent heroes get killed off or join a group, and you're gonna have to be the exception to that rule. You've got to be _undefeatable_. Not a human, not even mortal. A sword-wielding goddess." She said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"You don't think that's taking it a bit far?" I questioned.

She smirked in response.

"Nah. Otherwise? You're gonna die."

Senbonzakura chimed in. "As much as It displeasures me to admit it, the woman is correct. You need to create the image of unbeatable power. I believe that the best reference for you would be along the likes of The Triumvirate or the Golden Man."

I looked at the cherry blossom blade with a bewildered expression.

"You do realise that you're talking about the most powerful Heroes in the world?" Sure, my Zanpakuto were damn powerful, and when I really started to increase my arsenal, I'd probably become one of the most versatile heroes out there. But my blades couldn't really compare to the ability to go head to head with an _Endbringer_ solo and survive.

Benihime giggled and hid her face behind her fan.

"You've barely even scratched the surface of your powers Taylor. Hell, you could probably take on Alexandria or Legend with just one of us, if you used the blade to its full potential."

That was… _ridiculous_. The Triumvirate weren't just the strongest Heroes right now, they were the strongest heroes _ever._ They'd only ever lost to monsters like Siberian or the Endbringers, but even Scion, a practical god amongst men, had never defeated them. But… me? Hell, I still couldn't deal with the Trio, let alone wield the power to destroy city blocks with the flick of a wrist.

"Hey. Senbonzakura _._ You've done what you wanted to do. Off ya pop." Said Benihime _._ "Taylor needs to have a few more Kido in her arsenal, and I know for a fact that I'm better at them than you are."

Kido? Was she talking about the technique she'd forced into my head while I was trying to escape? Senbonzakura clicked his tongue in irritation but followed her suggestion anyway, his body dispersing outward in a cluster of pink petals.

"Taylor?"

I jerked my head to the side, narrowly avoiding the streak of bright white lightning that nearly pierced my skull. Benihime was hiding her face behind a fluttering fan, her other hand outstretched and smoking from the fingertips. It said something about my relationship with Benihime that I had practically been expecting the attack.

The crimson clad blade glared lightly at me.

"That was for dropping and _leaving_ me in the Protectorate HQ. You're damn lucky I was paying attention, otherwise you might as well have wrapper me up, put a ribbon on me and said ' _use this sword here for experimentation_ '!"

Oh, right. I had dropped Benihime when she forced that teleportation technique into my head. And seeing as my blades didn't dematerialise unless I made them do so…

Just another mistake to add to the books I suppose.

"I'm sorry about that. But didn't you just use a Byakurai? I thought that ability could only be accessed through Senbonzakura _."_ I questioned, ignoring the fact that she had just shot a lethal attack at my head without properly warning or preparing me.

Benihime shook her head, then turned in spot and pointed her hand out over the sea.

"Hado 91: _Senju Koten Taiho_." Ten bright pink streams of energy appeared around Benihime in a haphazard pattern.

They rocketed forward out over the ocean, their trajectories bringing them lower and lower until they struck the peaceful ocean surface. The calm waters erupted, pink energy surging in a colossal explosion that momentarily blinded me. A wall of wind rushed past me and Benihime _,_ causing my haori and her coat to flutter violently in the powerful gale.

My sword turned to me, grinning lazily.

"That was a high level Hado. Byakurai and Shakkaho are both Hado, but of a far lower level. Sentan Hakuja, the kido I forced into your mind to help with your escape, was a high level Bakudo."

Was she trying to imply what I think she was trying to imply?

"Do you mean to say that Byakurai and Shakkaho aren't abilities that come from my sword? That I not only have access to dozens of Zanpakuto, but can use an arsenal of…" I searched for the correct word. "... _Spells_?"

Benihime snickered.

"Yeah. But call them Hado, not spells. You're a shinigami, not some magician. And while we're at it, your ' _energy_ ' is called Reiryoku, and when you use it outside your body it becomes Reiatsu. Got that?"

I suppose it made sense, except for one issue.

"At the bank. I used Byakurai instinctively without being taught it, like how I knew how to use Senbonzakura's flower petals. How?" I asked.

Benihime held up two fingers.

"Two reasons. Byakurai is a low level Kido, it's only the Fourth, and is pretty easy to use. The second is a bit more complicated. Put simply, certain Zanpakuto can make certain Hado more powerful and easier to use, and vice versa. Byakurai is linked very closely to Senbonzakura, so it was far easier to use with his blade than it would be to use with mine."

Well that was… interesting. The one issue I had always held with my powers was there complete reliance on the blade. Without my zanpakuto, the only ability I could actually use was Shunpo, a technique that held no form of offensive power. But If I had potential access to an entire arsenal of these kido, and if they got so powerful that they could produce building destroying explosions the likes of which I had just seen?

From the way that Benihime was smirking, I could tell that she knew what I was thinking.

"Well. We've got time to kill and Kido to learn. But first I'm gonna show you a neat little trick," she said with a grin. "It's called Reiraku. And it's gonna make your hunt for Coil _a hell of a lot easier_."

* * *

Tattletale was awake when I checked in on her. "Really Regalia? Sword to the crotch? I thought you were meant to be _Noble,_ " She mocked.

She had gotten rid of her gag. Shame. I allowed Senbonzakura to disperse, walked over, grabbed Tattletale by the arm and lifter her to her feet. I was dressed in my black and white Cape outfit.

It was saturday, and I was going to be using the day to interrogate and deal with Tattletale. While in my Inner World, I had discussed the best way to go about things with Benihime, from where to talk with her to how to do it.

After a fair bit of discussion, we had decided that the boat graveyard was probably the best place to interrogate her. It wasn't ideal, but it was the best we could do on such short notice. What would have been ideal was some sort of isolated, secure building that would be more or less concealed from the Protectorate.

Unfortunately, I had neither the money, resources or reputation to have access to such a place, so I would have to make do with the most secretive location I knew of, the Boat Graveyard. And anyway, I was probably fast enough to escape any of the Protectorate Heroes, aside maybe Velocity or Battery.

"Boat Graveyard huh? Not bad, but you'd better be keeping your eye out for the Heroes, I doubt they'll be friendly with ya after yesterday." I met her eyes with an unimpressed raised eyebrow.

Then I held my hand out, letting a long white ribbon fall out of my sleeve and pool on the ground, noting Tattletales inhale of surprise as her power informed her of what I was about to do. I suppose she hadn't been conscious for yesterday's usage. The only reason that I was using the Sentan Hakuja was that I didn't want to risk trying to sneak Tattletale out one of my windows or front doors, something that would be required If I wanted to use Shunpo to get to the Graveyard, seeing as Shunpo couldn't traverse through walls.

After about 20 seconds of waiting for the long-range teleportation Kido to charge, I pushed a slight amount of Reiatsu into the correct place of the spell, triggering the standard flash of white light as I intoned the name of the spell.

"Sentan Hakuja."

We appeared on the boat I had first met Senbonzakura on, Tattletale swaying unsteadily by my side, the tightly secured zip-ties and abrupt location change no doubt playing havoc on her head. The white bed sheet-scarf hybrid was where I had left it, billowing slowly as the cool spring breeze lifted the light fabric. I had chosen this boat because it was as far out to sea as one could get, which would hopefully help to conceal us from the Protectorate.

"Warn a girl before you do something like that will ya?" Snarked Tattletale. "By the way, would you be ever so kind as to release some of these zip-ties? I can't feel my hands or feet right now, which is a wee bit worrying." She held her hands out in front of her, shaking them in front of my face in an irritating manner.

I released her arm and stepped away from her. She didn't even flinch as drew Senbonzakura from the air and cut through the ties with a single flick of my wrist. I made certain not to show any signs of relief, I hadn't quite been certain that I would be able to do that as cleanly as I had.

Tattletale massaged her wrists, then sat down and slouched against the gunwale of the ship casually.

"Well? You broke me out of prison to ask me some questions, so ask away. I'll try my very best to not fib." She said with a smirk.

I contemplated her for a second, then smoothly lowered myself until I was resting on my knees in a Seiza Position.

"I assume you know where Coil is based?" I had a way to find him myself now with the Reiraku technique that Benihime had taught me, but I didn't need to tell her that, even though her power would probably tell her anyway.

"Nope. Not a clue. But you can find him by yourself, so you didn't have any real reason to ask me that." Goddamn Thinker powers. "By the way, has anyone ever told you that you pick up powers faster than a sugar addict of a kid eats his favourite candy?"

I didn't even twitch.

"Yes, I am well aware of my own rapid growth rate Tattletale," I retorted stoically.

"Geez. Tough crowd."

Why did the Villain I ruined my reputation with have to be so irritating?

"Is there anymore information you can give me on Coil's forces and powers?" I asked. I wasn't stupid to try and attack a supervillain in his lair without a very good idea of his capabilities, bullshit powers or no.

Tattletale grinned like a fox.

"Coil himself has got some sort of probability manipulating Thinker power. I'm not certain on the specifics of how it works, but it's probably got something to do with probability manipulation, precise enough that he can control specifics about the world around him. He flipped a coin multiple times in front of me and made it land on heads every time. _Ten_ times."

That was… troubling. Depending on how powerful the ability was, it could very well be the death of me. All he would have to do to get rid of me was change something small, like the path of a bullet or the accuracy of a cape attack, and it could very easily screw me over. Hell, Tattletale didn't even know the specifics of his power, which made him even more dangerous to me than if I knew the specifics of his power.

Tattletale spoke again.

"The Mercenaries probably won't be much of an issue for you. Sure, they're highly trained and armed with Tinker-built weaponry, but we Undersiders would have been able to most likely deal with most of them by ourselves, and you took us all down by _yourself_."

Good to know. I had been worried about the mercenaries and had pondered trying to sneak past them, but according to Tattletale, I would be fine. I didn't trust her opinion much, but I was fairly certain that she hadn't been lying about the mercenaries general strength level.

"The Travellers are next. You can use that nifty new power of yours to arrange your attack for when these guys are out on an errand of some sort, because they're packing some nasty offensive power. Sundancer is a stupidly powerful Blaster, Ballistic sends objects rocketing at you at speeds faster than sound, Trickster teleports things of similar sizes and Genesis creates mythical fake bodies when she falls asleep. Bullshit powers, the lot of them." She complained. "What I could do with just _half_ their power…"

"You're dangerous enough as it is Tattletale," I commented absently, watching as Tattletales grin widened to a truly impressive width.

The Travellers sounded dangerous, a group of Villains I wasn't confident I could take on at the same time and win. If I used the technique Benihime had taught me last night I could beat them, but I highly doubted that they would survive. And killing is, obviously, is a big no-no.

"And that's it. If you catch Coil with his pants down, you're practically fated to win. Or you could run into the waiting arms of the Travellers, and then you're boned. Exciting, isn't it?" She said.

"Are you aware of the situation surrounding Dinah Alcott?" I wasn't really aware of the situation surrounding Dinah Alcott either, but at this point I was committed to attacking Coil, and there was no point in second guessing myself.

"Dinah Alcott? The Mayor's niece? What about her…" She trailed off the end of her sentence, then locked her eyes on mine with an almost fierce glare. "You're certain that Coil was responsible?"

"It is the most likely scenario in a plethora of unlikely situations. An estimate, if you will," I replied steadily.

Tattletale rested her head against the lip of the gunwale behind her and exhaled.

"I guess that's why he pushed us into robbing the Bank."

I hummed in agreement.

Tattletale stared at the sky for a few dozen seconds, barely moving except for the gentle movement of her chest that came from her breathing. I sat patiently, waiting for the villainess to speak. Tattletale's eyes slid down from the sky to meet mine, her head slowly lolling forward until she was staring at me with her standard vulpine grin.

"Well then. You got any last questions?"

"Just one. Why help me? And do keep in mind that ' _Coil isn't very nice_ ', Is not an answer that I will accept."

Tattletale's grin faded away until it was a barely noticeable uptilt to her lips. Her eyes glazed over slightly, as if she wasn't focusing on me and instead on some image that only she could see.

"I didn't join up with Coil willingly. Sure, I'm a Villain but Coil is a bit… _too_ Villainous, you know? I've been looking for a way out for a long, long time, and you have so far been my first and only viable option. You aren't afraid to get your hands dirty, and possess some seriously impressive abilities that seem to double in number pretty much every day. It's far from an ideal situation, and you're almost certainly gonna be turning me back to the Protectorate after this fiasco is over, but I did the best I could in a pretty shitty situation."

That had been… surprisingly heartfelt. It was odd, seeing a Villain that paraded around as a grinning, manipulative bitch be so open and honest. I still didn't trust her as far as I could throw her but it at least proved to me that there was a living, breathing human under all that snark.

Shame that I couldn't show her that I was human too.

I rose from my Seiza position gracefully, ignoring the slight pins and needles that I felt from being seated in that position for so long. I closed my eyes and pushed my Reiatsu out of my body, sending a barely noticeable wave of power throughout the city. I felt the reiryoku of each and every citizen of the city, felt the very energy that made up people's souls. But there were some who possessed just a little bit more, a barely noticeable hint of Reiryoku that stuck to the original soul like some sort of parasite. A passenger was perhaps the more accurate term.

I felt each and every one of these souls, and then I _compressed_ them. I opened my eyes to a sea of white ribbons. Thousands upon thousands littered the sky, a colossal sea of white cloth. But interspersed between the plain ribbons were those that possessed a hint of something _more_ , ribbons with something inhuman and strange that was clinging to the more-natural soul, almost like an echo or shroud. They weren't at all visible, but they were there, oozing unnatural power that only I could detect.

"What the hell? It's this far reaching?" Whispered Tattletale.

I assumed that her power was informing her of what I could see, or at least a part of it. The power to be able to track down each individual parahuman in the city was, after all, a truly dangerous ability.

I let my eyes flit from ribbon to ribbon, trying to identify one that might signify Coil. I found it after about half a second of searching, a ribbon that was identical to the rest in appearance, only differentiating itself from the other ribbons in the way that it was coiled around another slimmer ribbon. But there was that faint, transparent _feeling_ that clung onto the two of them. I could only describe the coiling ribbons echo as pitch black, sludge like and dripping, whereas the smaller ribbons companion felt like endless possibilities, shapes and emotions given form.

There was one other ribbon that I could see in the same vicinity. It was oddly ragged and torn, with frayed edges and slight tears in the fabric. The damaged ribbons echo felt sinuous and raw, something that I could only compare to exposed muscle, pulsing and undulating with jerking, seizure-like movements.

Who could that be? A Cape that Tattletale didn't know about maybe? Maybe a cape that Coil had recently employed into working for him after his power informed him of my attack? Or just a random Cape from around the city who just happened to be hanging around Coil's base?

Either or, The Travellers weren't home, leaving only Coil and someone who I assumed was Dinah as the only parahumans in the base. That was, of course, ignoring the third Parahuman, the one with the damaged soul. It was an opportunity that I _really_ wanted to take, but at the same time, was too wary to go for.

Unless…

I looked at Tattletale, who grinned at me as soon as I met her eyes. She stood up with a hop, brushing imaginary dirt of the thighs of her costume.

"You sure 'bout this? I wouldn't exactly call myself the most trustworthy of people…"

I placed my hands accordingly, then lifted her into a fireman's carry. She was heavy, but not bad enough to slow me down in any meaningful way. The original plan had been for me to leave her here while bound by some of the Bakudo Benihime had taught me last night, but the situation had changed. But now that I had learnt about a new, unknown Cape that was hanging around Coil, I wanted her with me, or more specifically, _her power_ , if only so that I wouldn't be running into the base without knowing about the abilities of one of Coil's Capes. It wasn't ideal, but very few things were recently, so I decided to just make do with what I had on hand.

We disappeared with a hiss of displaced air.

* * *

 **Please excuse the Dialogue heavy chapter, but it needed to be done. You'll get the asskickery that you've all been waiting about 55,000 words for next chapter, so don't worry about a lack of action. Think of this chapter as the calm before the storm, cause we're about to hit the climax of Scream. And you know what that means? Time to start voting for whichever Zanpakuto you want to see forged next!**

 **Only one thing to say down here. Taylor being able to use Reiraku (Spirit ribbons for dubbers) to find Parahumans is a bit of a stretch, but I have two semi-decent explanations/excuses. First off, Benihime/Kisuke. The guy/girl is a goddamn genius, and I reckon that they could modify a moderately basic spell to detect Parahumans pretty easily. And yes, I know that it's supposed to be a "high level spell", according to little Miss Kuchiki, but she also says that you need a big ass squadron of shingami to deal with a single Menos Grande, and I'm pretty sure we all know that that's bullshit. Unless you gathered the weakest, most useless shinigami ever and put them into a single squadron. Second reason behind my logic is that technically, Taylor didn't actually see the passengers/shards, she only felt the tiny remnants of one inhuman soul that were latched onto the human soul.**

 **Thank you for reading, and _please_ remember to review. I suffered from review-deprivation last chapter, and I hope that my fic is interesting enough to garner more than about 10 reviews. **


	12. Scream 2-5

**And with this chapter, we've very nearly reached the end of Scream. This, of course, means that a new Zanpakuto is right around the corner. Which means me having to write another forging scene, while trying to make it different enough to still be interesting. Yay. This chapter is actually the shortest I've written so far, but that's because it's really just me building up to Scream 2-6. It would have been longer, but my beta advised that I take out a pointless portion of the chapter. Which I did.**

 **On a happier note, With Grace and Elegance is slowly but steadily nearing that 1,000 fave/follow mark. Which is spectacular, especially seeing as the fic's only been around for about 3 months. And if all goes well, I might even break the legendary 1,000 reviews mark. Which would make me a very happy writer.**

 **Thanks to my beta, Zaralann. As always, he helped me iron out the kinks in the chapter. Much obliged.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach or Worm. Both belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

"I'd say that there are about 100 mercs in the base and the surrounding area." Said Tattletale, uncharacteristically serious.

"I was under the impression that Coil possesed 200 soldiers, not 70." I replied without looking at the villainess, busy scouring Coil's base and the surrounding area for some sort of trap.

We were on top of a roof, about a block away from where I had detected Coil's presence. We were both crouched behind the lip of the building peeking over the lip of the cement so that only the top her head was revealed. I was standing a few feet behind her, hidden behind some sort of large ventilation shaft that was taller than I was. Coil's base seemed to be some sort of large, black warehouse, with steel shuttered windows and no visible doorway.

Brockton Bay had far too many warehouses.

Tattletale turned around to face me.

"I'd advise getting some back up." She said. "The situation doesn't feel right, it's all a bit too convenient to be true."

I frowned.

"The longer I leave Coil be, the longer he has to corrupt Dinah Alcott. I refuse to let that happen."

"Yeah, but even without my Power, this entire situation screams ' _Trap!_ ' You'd have to be suicidal to just dash in there," She scoffed.

"What information is your Power giving you?"

"Not enough. Both Coil and the mayor's niece are in there, and the Travellers are out doing something in the city. And there aren't any mercenaries hiding away somewhere nearby." She shrugged. "I nearly reached the limit of my Power when I was talking with you earlier, I push anymore, and I'll just keel over."

I raised a questioning eyebrow.

"If you were using your Power during our conversation, you didn't show it."

"That's kinda the point."

"Fair enough."

I returned to the issue at hand. There were two options that I could take. We could stay where we were and continue to scout out Coil's base of operations, uncover more about the situation, and hopefully find a way to work our way around whatever Coil has planned. My second option was to forget caution and rush in now, trusting in my own combat abilities to brute force our way through whatever defenses Coil had planned for us.

Normally, I wouldn't have even considered charging recklessly headfirst into danger. But there was another factor, one that I simply couldn't ignore.

Dinah Alcott.

When I had used the Reiraku technique, I had seen Coil's soul wrapped around Dinah's own, slowly tightening. But as seemed to be the case with the majority of my powers, it was about going beneath the surface, more about a feeling than anything in the physical world. All I knew was that Coil was doing _something_ to Dinah, slowly but surely turning her into his living puppet. And if I wanted to stop this, I had to get too Coil _soon_ , otherwise it could very well be too late.

I would just have to rely on my Zanpakuto, as well as the smattering of Kido that I knew.

"You're insane. Completely and utterly batshit." Tattletale murmured, eyes wide with shock. I opened my mouth to ask a question, but she cut me off before I could do so. "And no, there's no way in hell that I'm walking into that shitshow willingly. Some of us don't have the benefit of bullshit grab-bag powerset's."

"Bakudo 1, _Sai_." I said with a smooth flick of my index and middle fingers. Her arms snapped together behind her back, bound together by my Reiryoku.

"Hey!" She yelled.

I narrowed my eyes a smidgen, then released some of my Reiatsu. She shut her mouth with a surprisingly loud slapping noise.

"You shall wait here for my return." I stated tonelessly. "Even if you do escape from your bindings, you have seen for yourself how easily I could track you down."

Tattletale sighed in defeat and slumped against the rooftop lazily.

"Try and make it quick, will ya? I'll be pissed if you leave me out here."

I didn't bother to respond, instead striding across the rooftop towards Coil's base. I disappeared in a Shunpo, flickering across the block once, twice, and a third time, stopping in mid air instead of a solid surface. I kept my momentum, darting toward the sealed window in front of me with Benihime in hand.

 **(Play OST - La Distancia Para Un Duelo)**

I released the Zanpakuto and summoned a _Chikasumi no Tate_ in front of me, crashing through the steel plane accompanied by violent crimson light. There was a mercenary beneath me, his eyes wide beneath his face mask. His gun was held lazily in his hand. He obviously hadn't expected any kind of assault. I dragged my sword down the right side of his chest as I fell, Benihime shearing through steel armour to part flesh. The wound I gave him was shallow, but long and painful.

I was standing on a walkway, a wide steel construction that hugged the perimeter of the large building. It crossed straight over the warehouse to the opposing side of the walkway twice. The room below was covered in large metal crates, some smaller wooden ones, with soldiers practically littering the floor. They were all turning towards me, raising all sorts of guns towards me, from assault rifles to shotguns.

Swapping out Benihime for Senbonzakura, I released the flower blades shikai with a near silent call.

"Scatter, _Senbonzakura_."

I pointed the blade to the right and then to the left, sending the highly lethal flower petals flowing down the walkway towards the surprised mercenaries. They didn't even get the chance to fire their guns, the sea of flower petals leaving hundreds of small but painful cuts all over their skin even as it pushed them off the walkway.

The barking sound of gunfire filled the air, hitting the air of where I had been standing not a second earlier. I appeared on the other side of the room, bisecting a soldiers weapon with Senbonzakura's petals and then pushing him off the walkway in one smooth movement.

I spun around another soldiers melee attack, reforming Senbonzakura's blade and impaling him in his gun arm. He grunted in pain, but used his other arm to violently lunge at me with a military knife. I stepped out of his reach, pulled Senbonzakura from his arm and placed my hand against his sternum.

"Hado 1, _Sho_."

The merc was thrust backwards into one of his fellow soldiers, the two of them slamming heavily into the walkway railing and toppling over it onto the ground below.

My eyes shifted to my right, taking in the six mercenaries lined up and pulling the triggers to their respective weapons. Once again, I disappeared just before the bullets were fired, flickering into existence once more past all of the mercenaries. They fell down silently, large bruises already forming on their foreheads. With them down, the only mercenaries left were the ones down in the open space below.

I brought Senbonzakura's petals around me in a dome like shield, just barely protecting myself from the intense hail of gunfire that came from the mercenaries below me.

The gunfire ended suddenly. A lull hung in the air, at least until a loud bang echoed through the air, followed by the sound of rocket propellant firing up.

They had a goddamn rocket launcher.

I couldn't get out of my dome with Shunpo on account of their being solid walls all surrounding me, and I couldn't release the petals because of the other mercenaries. I was stuck. And there was no way that my petals were sturdy enough to block a fucking _tinker-tech_ rocket launcher.

I calmed myself and reminded myself of Senbonzakura's advice from last night, then held my sword hilt in front of my face and spun it in a loose circle. My petals surged out from me in one huge wave, loosely packed together enough that I could see through the petals and view the entire room, yet closely packed enough so that they would strike most of the mercenaries multiple times.

As soon as I could, I used Shunpo to appear on the bottom floor, behind the momentarily stunned mercenaries. The rocket exploded as I struck at the first merc with a reformed Senbonzakura, the explosion defying physics by only exploding in one direction, leaving a gaping hole in the wall but leaving the mercenaries nearby completely unharmed.

The soldier spun as I lunged with my blade, holding his rifle in front of his chest as a makeshift shield. Senbonzakura pierced straight through, piercing his rifle and then his shoulder without a hint of resistance.

I loved my swords.

I pressed a finger to the Merc's chest and sent him flying with a casual application of the first hado, lowering my head to avoid a mercenaries knife thrust without a hint of outward effort. I swung my sword backwards and jabbed the pommel of Senbonzakura into the Mercenaries throat, allowing the rebounded momentum to lead my spin in the reverse direction, striking at the mercenaries chest with as little force as I could so as to make the wound non-lethal.

As soon as the Mercenary fell gunfire rang out once again, Mercenaries from all over the room taking cover behind crates and boxes to protect themselves from me. I disappeared with a Shunpo, flickering into existence near the top of the warehouse, my body parallel to the ground. I let the petals that made Senbonzakura's blade disperse, knowing that for my next trick, I would need as many petals as I could get.

I flicked my wrist smoothly, sending an arcing wave of petals down to the ground.

Once.

Twice.

Five times.

Ten times.

My petals carved deep grooves in the ground, each arc of pink tearing up some more of the warehouse. I made sure not to hit any of the mercs, knowing that a single strike from my zanpakuto would turn them into diced flesh. I instead aimed at the area around them, surrounding the powerless soldiers with razor-sharp walls of blades. None of them shot at me while I was in the air, too busy trying to find cover where there was none.

My brow furrowed slightly in concentration, my Reiryoku surging through my legs in preparation for what I was about to do.

I flickered and disappeared, appearing behind a stumbling mercenary with a sheathed Senbonzakura in hand. I struck at his temple, then used a Shunpo to disappear and strike another Mercenary across the room.

I Shunpo'ed again and again, blurring around the room at near untraceable speeds, striking down each of Coil's soldiers one by one. I was moving fast enough that they couldn't track me with their all-too-human eyes, and they would hit their comrades if they tried to just randomly fire bullets around the room with the hope of hitting me.

My plan was going well enough. Or, It was going well enough before someone _grabbed_ my sword and flung me over their shoulder like a rag-doll. I landed on my feet with a subtle application of Reishi over the floor, then unleashed my Reiatsu.

All of it.

The world shook.

The mercenaries crumpled to the ground, pressed to their knees by the immense amounts of _power_ I was releasing. Slowly, one by one, they bent at the waist, their heads being drawn to the ground even as they struggled to fight my Reiatsu.

After only a few seconds of resistance, they all fell down into subservient positions, foreheads pressed to the ground, bodies curled into tight balls. They didn't dare move, my Reiatsu like a knife at their throats. Even if they couldn't see any obvious threat, they could still _feel_ it, feel the menacing pressure that laced the air.

I raised my two pointer fingers in the air and gathered my Reiryoku at my fingertips. Balancing both the building kido and my reiatsu was hard, like trying to carry two heavy rocks per hand, but I managed. I dragged my fingers through the air, drawing a half-circle, a zig zag and a straight line in glowing red, the symbols hanging in the air for a second before disappearing.

" _Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini. Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat_. Bakudo 9, _Geki."_

Red energy enshrouded both the prostrating and unconscious mercenaries with a dull glow. Although it wasn't visible, the Geki was a paralysis technique, which was unbreakable to any human without a Cape power. According to Benihime anyway.

 **(End OST)**

If I had just done this at the start, this entire fight would have been over much quicker. On the other hand, I was fairly certain that I had just alerted the PRT to my presence, after all, enough of my Reiatsu, and the air changed not only in feeling, but appearance. And I had just used all of my Reiatsu. I probably had half an hour at most before a Hero showed up.

My eyes widened in surprise. I spun around and raised Senbonzakura's sheathed blade, barely blocking the pitch black machete that had very nearly separated my head from my shoulders. The man wielding it was a masked and helmeted Coil merc, identical to all of his brethren except for the fact that he hadn't bowed to my Reiatsu. Either he had been born with an abnormally strong soul, or he was something entirely unnatural. I decided to go with the first option.

I Shunpo'ed backwards a few metres, returning to my previous calm state of mind. I had unsheathed Senbonzakura during the blur of movement, the naked blade held at my side with an air of casual confidence.

"How the hell did you block that?" The mercs voice was low without being gravelly, a baritone hum.

"I have my ways," I replied dryly.

Using Shunpo to appear behind him, I put my pointer fingers to the middle of his back.

" **Hado 1:** _ **Sho**_ **.** "

He was flung forward through the air, soaring through the air parallel to the ground in a near comedic fashion.

I used Shunpo to appear a few metres in front of him and too his left, lifting the sheathed form of Senbonzakura to his neck level. He struck it with a flinch-worthy _thud,_ flopping to the ground and gasping for air that wouldn't come.

My face remained dispassionate as he clawed at his throat. He would survive.

His pride wouldn't.

I turned and walked calmly away from the defeated mercenaries, my white haori billowing with my smooth movement.

There was a small, metal door in the wall of the warehouse. I briefly flickered my vision through a short range reiraku, confirming the presence of both Coil and Dinah behind the doorway. My fingers twitch involuntarily on the hilt of Senbonzakura, a barely noticeable movement that nonetheless contrasted with my calm, prideful posture.

Dinah Alcott was just behind that door. The girl that I had put so much effort to capture was right in front of me, along with one of the potentially most dangerous supervillains in all of Brockton Bay, if what Tattletale had said about him was even remotely true.

I unsheathed Senbonzakura slowly as I neared the door, dropping the sheath and letting it burst into petals. I wasn't going to take any chances with a villain like Coil.

The door seemed surprisingly small and weak for someone as influential as Coil. It was unassuming in its simplicity, made of reflective steel and only slightly larger than a usual set of double doors.

I raised my free hand up to the door and used a _Sho_. To my surprise, the door opened, swinging open lopsidedly with a loud screech of metal, the doors hinges bent from the force exhibited by my hado.

Something wasn't right here. It went all the way back to the rooftop, when Tattletale had told me that Coil possesed far more soldiers than he had stationed in this warehouse, to the flimsiness of the doorway I had just blow open. And although I hated to agree with Tattletale on anything, I had to admit that this was, undoubtedly, a trap.

But the fact remained that Dinah was close. Very close. I would just have to make my way through whatever trap Coil had planned, grab Dinah, and get the hell out of dodge. Ideally with Coil unconscious and held in my other arm. I swapped out Senbonzakura for Benihime just in case, deciding to take the more versatile blade over area control and lethality.

There was a stairwell that lead upwards to a small steel door frame, ominously unlit. It could have been purposeful, or Coil might not have had the time to install his lights. Either or.

I used Shunpo to appear at the top of the stairwell, wanting to get this confrontation started as quickly as possible. The door's opened without any action on my part, swinging open to reveal a room that was well lit by a large window along the back of it, occupied only by a large mahogany desk, and three figures.

Coil, a female mercenary, and a young girl that I assumed was Dinah.

Coil was dressed in a pitch black bodysuit that lacked any obvious orifices, smoothly covering his face without any obvious holes for his eyes or mouth. The only marking on the costume was a simple white snake design that coiled around his body, going from the top of his head to below his midsection. I couldn't see his legs, seeing as he was seated behind the desk, leaning forward and clasping his hands loosely on top of the hardwood.

Dinah was seated on the desk, legs hanging over the edge. She was wearing a clean white dress and nothing else, with long brown hair and the small build of a child. Her eyes were wide and fearful. The reason? The third person in the room, the mercenary, was holding a gun to her head. Her other hand was on Dinah's shoulder, drawing the young girl close to her body in a crude mockery of a hug.

I didn't so much as blink, even though I could feel the beginnings of rage starting to bubble in my stomach. I suppressed the violent feeling ruthlessly. I couldn't afford to fuck this up as I had with the Protectorate.

"Hello Regalia." Said Coil, his voice smooth and uncaring.

"Coil." I replied flatly.

I vanished into a Shunpo, appearing directly in front of the mercenary and tearing Dinah from her arms. The woman screamed in pain, her arm missing from the elbow down. Blood gushed from the wound, staining the floor a gruesome crimson.

Coil didn't even flinch. He only removed his hand from his wrist, displaying the padded black bracelet-like detonator that was attached to his wrist. He looped his finger around a protruding rod that was attached to the detonator.

"This is the detonator for a bomb," he said callously. "The bomb itself is tied to this entire facility. The moment this key is removed from the detonator, or if I use the other trigger, we all die. Even if you cut of my hand or fingers, this key will be pulled, triggering the explosions."

My eyes narrowed a hair.

"And given your power, you would, of course, survive the explosion."

He chuckled patronizingly.

"I assume that you possess that information thanks to Tattletale. I should have killed that girl a long time ago…"

"You wouldn't have taken such drastic measures unless there was something specific you wanted from me." I said, my eyes reverting to their standard half-lidded state, even as I tried desperately to find my way out of Coil's seemingly suicidal trap.

"I've always thought that your name was rather pretentious." He remarked, ignoring my question altogether. "Regalia. The insignia and clothing of a King or Queen. Not dissimilar to Kaiser's title, don't you think."

I didn't so much as blink. If I had to play his game for a while to buy myself some time to find my way out of this conundrum, then so be it.

"I personally believe that it's rather fitting."

"And why is that?" He replied, voice laced with a tinge of curiosity.

It took me a second to formulate my reply, splitting my attention as I was.

"Regalia is, by definition, a sign of Nobility. Elegant. Majestic. A symbol that perfectly displays the refined power of True Royalty."

Coil hummed thoughtfully.

"Yet Regalia is also, by definition, useless and powerless." His voice gained a mocking lilt to it. "A mere symbol. Not true power, simply a peacock displaying it's feathers."

Enough of this.

My Reiatsu swelled slightly, just enough to instill a slight unease into my victim. I had decided to go through with a crude but hopefully effective plan. I was going to have to run, regardless of my pride. I would smash open the window behind Coil with a Nake, then use Shunpo to escape as fast as I possibly could with a _Chikasumi no Tate_ covering my back in case I couldn't get away from the explosion in time.

"I didn't come here to _banter_ with you Coil." I raised Benihime marginally, and released enough to reiryoku to produce crimson energy that flickered up and down the blade. "Answer my question. What do you want from me?"

Coil cocked his head to the side in an unreadable gesture.

"I want many, many things. But for now? I'll make do with having your head on a platter." I scowled with a fierceness that was most unlike me and started to swing Benihime.

Coil chuckled. Then he raised his hand straight up into the air so it was in view of the window, and clenched his fist.

He vanished, a black and red armoured giant taking his place. He surged forward, grabbing my blade and sending it rocketing away from him, tearing it from my hand. The fallen Mercenary had been replaced too, a black clad female whose tight costume was decorated with red sun's. Dinah was still hiding behind my robes, clutching onto the fabric with her small hands.

Ballistic and Sundancer, swapped out with Coil and the Mercenary using Trickster's power. In other words, The Travellers were here.

 _Fuck._

* * *

 **You see what I mean now about leading up to a much more epic fight? The entire merc battle was pretty much just Taylor cutting through merc's with ridiculous ease, with a bit of Bleachy Spanish guitar thrown into the mix. Entertaining maybe, but not exactly Awesome Fight Scene material. So I decided to add in the Travellers.**

 **The kido that Taylor used to bind the mercs, Geki, is one of the more obscure ones. It was only used once (by Rukia against the Grand Fisher), and even shares it's number with another hado. Tite Kubo obviously forgot about it. In canon, Rukia used it to temporarily paralyse the Grand Fisher. Keep in mind that this was done while in a power draining gigai, and against an (at the time) powerful hollow. The mercenaries are, spiritually speaking, weak ass little bitches. I didn't think it was too much of a stretch that Taylor could use it to bind all the Mercenaries.**

 **But now onto the bigger, more important issue. One that me and my beta fought over. Namely, Coil's bomb plot. Just to clarify, the entire point of the bomb threat was too stall for time for the Travellers to get into position. But I'd like to make it clear in an AN, since I won't be explaining this in the actual fic: there were no bombs. It was a bluff by Coil. Unless he was dying, Coil wouldn't blow up his base, because doing so would not only kill Dinah, but also release Noelle/Echidna. Which is a big no-no for rather obvious reasons. Taylor wouldn't be able to tell that Coil was lying, which is due to both her own inexperience and the fact that Coil is near Aizen-levels of lying manipulative bastard-ness. And by using the unique detonator, he was able to discourage Taylor from trying her luck and destroying the detonator itself by using Shunpo.**

 **He's a clever little bastard, isn't he?**

 **Reviews are always welcome, unless they're bitching about the summary. Yes, I know that it's illogical and doesn't follow the defined power levels of either Bleach or Worm. But it's unique and sounds cool, and I'm not changing it unless someone points out an actually decent reason to do so. "Because it's fucking stupid" is not, contrary to popular belief, a good reason to dislike anything.**

 **Mini-rant done. As always, thank you for reading.**


	13. Scream 2-6

**Welp. The end of Scream is here, and with it comes 1,000 follows. I hope. With Grace and Elegance is at 950-something right now, so I don't think it's that unlikely.**

 **This chapter was a bit of an odd one to write; I expected to enjoy writing a big, chunky fight scene between Taylor and The Travellers, but instead I ended up far preferring writing the interactions of Taylor and Tattletale. It would be a bit of a shame if that's what it was like to read, as that means that my fight scenes are kinda weak in comparison to dialogue, but I suppose that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.**

 **This chapter was Beta read by Zaralann. Helped out a bunch, especially with fact checking.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach or Worm. Both belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

Ballistic started of the fight by launching the table at me.

The black and red clad hulk of a man slammed his hand down on Coil's large desk even as my eyes were widening in shock, sending the large piece of furniture flying at me at near-incomprehensible speeds, all the more surprising by how close I was to him. I didn't even have Benihime in hand - he had thrown her away as soon as he arrived - I just barely managed to cast _Sho_ to lessen the impact, but the table still hit me like a train.

Me and Dinah were sent flying backwards, out through the open doorway and down the staircase, I barely had the strength of mind to spin in the air to put myself on the bottom and hold Dinah tightly in my arms, the table's strike had properly stunned me. We landed at the bottom of the stairways in a rough tumble of limbs, skidding out of the lower doorway and into the main room painfully.

I choked in pain. Although Dinah was shuddering in terror, she seemed mostly unharmed apart from a few bruises and scrapes.

A large chunk of the table came rocketing down the stairway, ricocheting of the walls like some sort of demented bouncy ball. I disappeared with a disturbingly slow Shunpo. It took me about five seconds after I had vanished to actually appear at my destination. I flickered upwards and landed on one of the walkways that branched across the room, standing tall and proud. Internally, I was worried. My Shunpo had been slow, slow enough that it could make a real difference in the upcoming fight. I chalked the lack of speed up to Dinah, who was adding extra weight to my movement. I had suffered from a similar issue when transporting Tattletale, but I hadn't been fighting then. And I didn't dare leave Dinah by herself somewhere, knowing that she could either be taken by one of Coil's many subordinates, or just fall prey to the amounts of collateral damage that would undoubtedly occur.

Ballistic charged through the open doorway, both hands clenched into fists. He raised his hands and laid them out palm facing the ceiling as I summoned Benihime. I couldn't make out what he held in his hand, but I doubted that it was anything good for me. I lifted Dinah up with my one free hand - she locked her arms around my back in a piggy back position - then dashed to the side and vanished in a Shunpo.

The Shunpo was still sluggish, far from ideal for an important fight like this one. It was a rather serious problem, but I would just have to make do.

With a hiss of air, I appeared behind Ballistic, my sword cleaving through the air towards his neck. Or where his neck should have been, for he had ducked _before_ I had even arrived, my transport from the walkway to the ground was so slow that a non-mover was able to dodge my blow. Or was I becoming predictable enough that he knew to duck when I used Shunpo?

He punched me in the stomach, applying his power and sending me rocketing backwards. I used Shunpo once more, just managing the step before me and Dinah hit the wall. Appearing about 10 metres in front of Ballistic, I held Senbonzakura close to my face vertically.

"Scatter, _Senbonzakura."_

He dive rolled to the side, dodging a nonexistent strike. He glanced up at me in surprise, his eyes only widening further when he saw the veritable stream of petals headed his way, not ploughing through the air next to him as he had probably planned.

The sea of petals carried him up, flowing like a bladed stream, with him at the center of it. He was carried, roaring all the way, along the wall and up to the roof of the building, breaking through the relatively thin roof of the warehouse with the sound of crunching bones and metal. I flicked my wrist, causing the petals to toss him to the side, his body rolling limply along the roof, then drew the bladed petals back to me with a thought and another motion of the wrist.

I exhaled tiredly, but kept my body tensed and ready. Although he had been dealt with quickly, being hit with the table had seriously hurt me. Dinah was still shaking, her head pressed into the soft folds of cloth on my back. I should probably try to comfort her, right?

"Worry not little one. You shall be returned to your family without a scratch. I swear it." I promised quietly. Her shaking lessened slightly.

The sound of shrieking metal came from above me suddenly. I looked up in surprise to see what looked like a chitinous, black hexagon crash through the roof directly above my head. I raised my hand and launched a _Byakurai_ , which impacted the shield and bounced off without leaving even a small mark. When the odd projectile crashed into the floor I was no longer there, instead standing in the middle of the room among all of the paralysed mercenaries. It had been a close cut thing, but I had managed to Shunpo in time.

Barely.

The roof-wrecker rose slowly, the hexagonal shield unfolding into two separate pieces of chitin. The pitch black creature standing in front of me was weird and alien, thin legs and waist contrasting with the broad chest and shoulders. It lacked a head, instead having six different arms that branched off it's wide upper torso. The upper and lower arms unfolded slowly, revealing themselves to be lanky, many jointed limbs tipped with savage scythe blades. The middle arms were connected to the two large shield pieces that it had used to break through the roof with.

Genesis.

Another member of the Travellers, some sort of Projection-Type cape that could chose what kind of biology her construct was manifested with if I remembered correctly.

The two shields that had been attached to her middle arms fell off, crashing to the floor with a loud rumble. They were quickly replaced with shimmering scythe blades that were exactly identical to the other two, the long weapons sliding out of black flesh with a subdued _shink._

Genesis rocketed forward moving ridiculously fast, fast enough that I didn't dare use Shunpo. Chances were that she'd just predict where I was going to arrive, and then cut me down before I could react.

Instead, I deflected the scythe blow and let it crash into the ground, sending up a large cloud of dust and cement splinters. The Traveller stepped forward and struck again with another scythe blade, forcing me to take a step back so I could defend against the attack. She didn't let me rest for a second, stepping forward and striking once more, forcing me backwards.

Her attacks started to escalate in both speed and strength, forcing me to put both hands on my sword in order to match it. We moved backwards across the warehouse, avoiding the downed mercenaries while we crossed blade and scythe again and again.

As I blocked yet another blow she hooked one of her other scythes around Senbonzakura and dragged it _down_ , out of my hands and into the floor. Her remaining arms raised high, the blades glinting menacingly. I took the opportunity to leap backwards three times, putting plenty space between me and Genesis. She surged forward at lightning fast speeds.

Extending my hand low to the ground, I summoned Benihime's released blade and let copious amounts of Reiryoku flow through it. The creature was barely two metres from me, raised blades lit up by bloody crimson light reflected by my Zanpakuto. I dashed forwards low to the ground, ducking under the extended unfurled scythes and flicking my wrist to drag Benihime's blade up the creatures torso.

"Nake, _Benihime._ "

Crimson energy surged upwards, engraving a deep gash in the creatures torso as it staggered backwards, black gunk spurting freely. I rotated my wrist, angling Benihime into the position that would allow me to finish the projected creature. Genesis jerked her large body to the side, stumbling across the ground. She lost all three of the scythed arms on her left side in another spurt of black fluid.

I pointed my two index fingers at the stumbling Genesis and forced enough Reiryoku into them that the air around my fingers thrummed with raw power.

"Hado 1: _Sho_." I announced stoically, the usually weak technique flinging Genesis through the air.

I probably wouldn't be able to do much more than wound the creature in here, she was undoubtedly extremely resilient, and the prostate mercenaries and Dinah were preventing me from unleashing the more devastating technique that Benihime had recently taught me. But I didn't want to flee, leaving Coil with any of his forces remaining put a bad taste in my mouth, as did the thought of running away like a coward. So I decided to compromise.

Time to take this outside.

I flickered into a slow Shunpo, moving through the hole that Genesis had made herself, and from the rooftop down to the empty street. If this was Downtown, people would have been clamouring about, trying to get a glimpse of the action. But this was the Docks, and here people had learned to just keep their heads down and pray that they didn't get dragged into the fight.

The doors of the warehouse slammed open, revealing Genesis in all of her scythed glory. The fact that she was missing half of her arms didn't seem to be bothering her much. It seemed like my predictions about her durability was fairly accurate.

She prowled towards me slowly, crossing the street with all three of her remaining arms raised in a ready position. She eventually came to a halt standing in the middle of the street, legs bent and arms raised. I stood straight and tall, Benihime held at my side in a loose grip, Dinah still clutching to my back like some sort of baby monkey.

I sheathed Benihime on my waist and raised both of my hands, holding one out in a claw like grip and extending my index fingers on the other. I cast two successive _Sai_ , binding all of Genesis' limbs even as I started to recite the incantation of my next hado calmly.

" _Sprinkled on the bones of the beast. Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring_."

Genesis writhed in place, struggling against the bonds I had placed on her as a yellow orb of lightning started to crackle into existence inside the cup of my hand. I continued with my chant, casually ignoring of her struggling.

" _Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm._ "

The orb grew even larger, crackles of electricity arcing around me and striking the road with sharp cracks.

" _The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle._ Hado 63: _Raikoho._ "

The orb of electricity erupted, rushing forward in a bright yellow beam of roaring lightning. The powerful Hado consumed the street entirely, obscuring my view with a sea of golden energy. I felt and heard a terrific rumbling sound, causing me to stumble slightly. The lightning suddenly disappeared, vanishing almost as quickly as it had appeared. I closed my eyes while panting lightly. The Raikoho was an immensely powerful Hado, and using it cost far more of my Reiatsu than I would have liked, even though I had used the incantation, something which made the Hado much easier to cast.

I opened my eyes, and saw devastation. The street was blackened and burnt, a long path of devastation that ran out about twenty metres from where I stood, widening slowly as it went along. At the very end of the blackened trail of destruction was a large, smouldering crater, presumably where the Raikoho had detonated. There was no sign of Genesis' Projection, it had almost certainly been incinerated by the blast.

I turned my head to look at Dinah, whose mouth was wide open in pure, unadulterated shock. I restrained an amused chuckle.

"Well then." I said simply. "Let's get you home, little one."

The girl smiled happily, and then vanished. She was replaced with a small backpack, something a schoolgirl would use. I narrowed my eyes a smidgen, the only outward sign of my fury.

"Trickster." I let the name roll of my tongue slowly, my tone far too emotionless to be entirely human.

In the distance, I could hear the roar of engines and a faint chopping noise that was probably a helicopter. It would seem that the Protectorate were nearby, and were coming after me. Or the Travellers. Or the both of us. It could honestly be either.

A sudden heat washed over me, accompanied by an almost blinding light that appeared in the corner of my vision. Both the heat and light came from an apple sized ball of pure energy, similar to a miniscule sun. It would seem that the last two members of the Travellers had decided to attack as one, Sundancer attacking as soon as she was certain that Dinah was out of the way.

But now that I wasn't carrying a surprisingly heavy young girl on my back, I was back to my regular speed, something that I doubted the Travellers realised.

My body _vanished,_ flickering out of existence with a barely audible hissing of displaced air. I stepped forward directly in front of the Sundancer, the blaster's hands were extended forward, presumably to control her ball of pure heat. Senbonzakura's sheathed blade was in my hand, already moving. I struck at both her calves, striking so fast that her legs were literally ripped from beneath her, leaving her body at a fifty degree angle to the ground.

Senbonzakura blurred, colliding with her stomach in the space of a single second. She slammed into the ground, clutching at her stomach and gasping for air.

I flickered again, appearing outside of the building and applying the Reiraku technique to search for Trickster's soul. His ribbon was a few blocks away, moving to another location a block away even as I got a grasp on his location. I drew and released Senbonzakura, then used a _Shunpo_ to move up to a rooftop, chasing after the final Traveller far faster than he could run.

Trickster spun as I appeared on the gravelly rooftop he was standing on, one hand holding Dinah over his back in a fireman's carry and the other fumbling at something behind his back.

I thrust Senbonzakura's hilt forward, sending my flower petals flowing over the roof in a deadly display of beauty. The red-masked teleporter put both of his hands on Dinah and held her body in front of himself. The girl struggled vainly in his grip, clawing at his gloved hands as the lethal sakura petals continued forward.

The blades rushed past the two of them, flowing over and around the hostage and Villain without touching them. When the petals cleared and Trickster saw that he was unharmed, his hand moved to the back of his belt, doing something that I couldn't see from my position.

No matter.

Senbonzakura's petals thrust through both of Trickster's triceps, tearing a hole straight through both of his arms in a visceral spray of blood and forcing a pained scream from his throat. Vicious maybe, but he had just tried to use Dinah as a literal meatshield.

The Villain fell forwards, moaning in pain. I Shunpo'ed over to him and grabbed Dinah, letting the man fall to the gravel without a second thought. The girl buried her face in my haori, shivering with fear. The poor girl just couldn't catch a break.

My lips downturned when I looked at Trickster. Along the back of his belt were three grenades, what he had been grabbing for before I tore through his arms. His plan had most likely been to substitute out a live grenade for some of the gravel near me, potentially killing me in the process. Bastard. I applied Sai to his elbows, then hands and ankles.

The engines of the Protectorate were loud now, in the time it had taken me to deal with Sundancer and Trickster, they had neared to only a few blocks away. If I looked over my shoulder, I'd probably see some helicopters coming at me too. I doubted that I had even a minute to spare.

I had two options before me. I had Dinah, and I had dealt with all of Coil's forces. There was no need for me to stay here, I could just take Dinah home and call it a day. And I'd have to pick up Tattletale I suppose. I had forgotten about her.

On the other hand, I could track down Coil and deal with him. From what I had seen of him so far, he was the worst kind of Villain, someone who wouldn't hesitate to do _anything_ to further his position in the world. People like that were worse than Villains like Kaiser or Lung, who possessed a basic set of morals and restraints, even though they were respectively a white supremacist and a genocidal dragon.

Point was, Coil was a bad guy that I had the opportunity to get rid of. At the risk of a young girl. Choices, choices.

Either way, I would want Tattletale by my side. I returned Dinah to her piggyback position, smiling minutely at the way that the girl clung to me, then vanished into the air.

After about fifteen seconds of repeated shunpo, I arrived on the rooftop that I had left Tattletale on. She was sitting where I had left her, hand still bound behind her back. She turned her head and looked at me, then over my shoulder at Dinah.

"Bit of a Clingy girlfriend you've got there Reggie."

"She's a Primary schooler."

"I take back everything I just said. Ew."

I restrained the urge to rub my forehead. It hadn't been ten seconds, and I could already feel a headache starting to form. I decided to release Tattletale's restraints instead. She rubbed her wrists, then hopped to her feet and gave a sloppy salute, accompanied with a lilting grin.

"Where to next Boss? Your loyal follower Tattletale is waiting for your command." She glanced over her shoulder, drawing my attention to two futuristic black helicopters that were rapidly drawing closer to us. "Might want to hurry though. We've got about thirty seconds before the good guys catch up with us."

Dinah raised her head, locking eyes with Tattletale.

"Regalia will be taking me home to my parents. She swore it." Tattletale blinked in surprise. I nearly did too, Dinah had been entirely silent since I had met her. Tattletale grinned. I prepared myself for another inane comment.

"She sounds just like you."

"The height of elegance?"

"Like she has a stick up her asshole."

I suppressed my involuntary eyebrow twitch and held my hand out to the side, a white ribbon ejecting from my sleeve and coiling around us in a floating spiral. It picked up speed, starting to rapidly spin around the three of us.

A green and brown figure leant out of the side of one of the machines, hefting a large black gun. It rattled and barked as it fired, loud enough to be heard over the din of the helicopters. The bullets tore through the ribbon of the Sentan Hakuja, ripping enough holes in the fabric to destabilize the Hado.

Miss Militia.

Tattletale glanced at me.

"She isn't going to fight you unless you attack first. She only fired to stop you from teleporting."

The only sign of acknowledgment that I gave Tattletale was a slight nod of my head. I released Senbonzakura from my hand and met the eyes of Miss Militia, who was sitting in the cockpit of the first helicopter.

When the aircraft reached us, it kicked up a large flurry of wind, catching my haori, scarf and hair and making them billow behind me. Tattletale raised her hand to cover her eyes and Dinah ducked her head behind my shoulder, but my eyes didn't leave Miss Militia's for a second.

The helicopter's didn't bother to land, a hatch opened in the side, allowing Assault and Miss Militia to jump out, Assault using his power to dampen his fall and Miss Militia hooking some sort of grapple gun onto the side of the helicopter and lowering herself down quickly from there.

I nodded politely to the two Protectorate heroes.

"Assault. Miss Militia."

The Helicopters started to leave, turning in the air and flying off in the general distance of the Protectorate headquarters.

Miss Militia's grapple gun transformed into a railgun in a burst of emerald energy.

"Hello Regalia." She replied. "The Protectorate requests that you return Tattletale to us. If you don't, you shall be arrested, on the accounts of public property damage and jailbreaking a villain." Her formality felt forced and awkward, it sounded like something Armsmaster would say, clashing badly with the image I had built of Miss Militia in my head.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Tattletale glance at me anxiously. This was a difficult situation. On one hand, handing Tattletale over would probably clear my name in the eyes of the Protectorate, cover up my mistake. But in our very short time together, I had grown milfly attached to the snarky villainess. It was mostly just because she was the first teenager my age I had properly interacted with in a long time, but the fact remained that I wasn't ready to part with her just yet. Handing Tattletale over stank of betrayal.

Stank of Emma.

"Regalia? Will you hand over the Villain?" Miss Militia's voice was firm and steady.

I released a smidgen of Reiatsu, just enough to ensure that I was taken seriously.

"In my short tenure as an independent hero I have permanently scarred Oni Lee, defeated all four of the Undersiders, rid Coil of all his soldiers and single handedly crushed the Travellers. Even if you did possess the ability to defeat me, which you don't, you have far better things to do with your time. Might I suggest tracking down the real body of Genesis? She is currently weak and vulnerable, and it would be irritating to have to do deal with her twofold."

Miss Militia sighed tiredly.

"Tattletale is a Villain. We can't just let you walk free with her, respective power levels notwithstanding."

I raised an eyebrow.

"So you're going to fight and lose to me, ruining the Protectorate's relationship with a powerful cape, all to imprison a small time thief?"

Assault snickered loudly.

"She's a fun one." He commented appreciatively.

A second Tattletale. _Wonderful_.

Miss Militia frowned behind her scarf.

"Even so, just letting her go like this is..."

"Totally fine." Interrupted Assault, glancing nervously at the wreckage I had left behind when using the Raikoho. "I don't know about you, but I don't really feel like getting my ass handed to me by a teenage girl. Piggy doesn't even have to know that we encountered Regalia and Tattletale. Regalia is easily fast enough to run from us as soon as she even suspected we would be here. "

Tattletale nodded slowly.

"And those Pilots are your drinking buddies, so you can just ask them not to tattle on us." She giggled at her own little pun.

Assault giggled with her. Dear god. There really were two of them.

" _Drinking buddies_." I said, skepticism obvious in even my monotone of a voice.

Assault twitched his head to the side, giving me the impression that he had just winked at me.

"Never underestimate the power of alcohol." He chirped.

Miss Militia rubbed her forehead and sighed heavily, but she still wasn't protesting to the scheme.

"And what about cameras?" She asked resignedly.

Tattletale answered for her. "Those helicopters were brand, spanking new prototypes, and weren't outfitted with their cameras, on account on some seriously lazy staff."

Miss Militia didn't object, so I assumed that she didn't have any more complaints.

I gestured in the direction in which I had left Trickster. "I left one of the Travellers a few blocks in that direction. I would advise taking him to Panacea. He tried to use Dinah as a shield, so I had to resort to… _extreme_ measures." I said.

Miss Militia grunted in acknowledgment.

"I don't suppose you'll be breaking these ones out of our cells any time soon?"

I shook my head slightly.

"I have no need for them. While I can do many, many things, I doubt that I will ever qualify for a Thinker-Rating. That is what I have Tattletale for." I said calmly.

A good excuse, and it was only a half-lie. The reiraku was the only Thinker-like ability I possessed. As of right now anyways.

"Thank god for that." Muttered Miss Militia. "We'll send some men over to pick her up." She cocked her head to the side and held a hand to her ear. "In the meantime, would you mind releasing whatever you did to the Mercenaries? The PRT are having some trouble with putting them away."

I raised my fingers and dispelled the _Geki_ , a faint shimmering of red light around my finger the only sign that anything had really happened. Assault shook his head.

"Bullshit powers be Bullshit." He remarked, then walked over to the lip of the building and hopped off.

Miss Militia decided to use the fire escape instead.

Dinah tugged at my shoulder.

"Can we go back to my parents now?" She asked plaintively.

I smiled in spite of myself.

"Of course."

Tattletale raised an eyebrow.

"Huh. So she can smile. Who would've thunk it?" She snarked.

My smile vanished, replaced with a threatening half-lidded gaze that slowly slid over to meet Tattletale's eyes. She raised her hands in mock surrender.

"Just pointing it out."

* * *

Mrs. Alcott looked like a woman in grief.

She shared her daughter's brown hair, a soft color that offset her blue eyes prettily. I had no doubt that she would have been a pretty, maybe even a beautiful woman, if her appearance wasn't one of such obvious sorrow. There were, deep, dark circles that were so large they reached the tip of her eyes sockets, her eyes were so watery and bloodshot that it practically hurt to look at them. Her hair was a greasy, tangled mess, no doubt from her repeatedly running her fingers through it.

"What do you want?" She said, her voice ridden with grief.

"Mama?"

Mrs. Alcott gasped. Dinah was peeking out from behind my robes, clutching onto them tightly.

"Dinah?" She asked, falling to her knees and clutching her hands to her bosom.

I glanced down at Dinah, who was looking at me anxiously, almost as if she was scared that running to her mother would offend me in some way.

"Go to your mother, little one." I said serenely.

The brown haired girl ran around me and into the waiting arms of her mother, who clutched her so tightly I feared that she might break Dinah's back.

They both started to weep, tears falling down their faces as they comforted each other. I breathed a contented sigh of relief. This was why I had become a hero. Not to put the Villains in jail or kick the ever living shit out of some mercenaries, but to help others; to see the happy faces of those I saved.

I turned and started to walk down the driveway, the swift motion causing my haori to undulate slightly in the breeze.

"Wait! Please." I turned my head to see a man who was probably Dinah's father. Tears were running down his face as he leaned down to rub his wife's back soothingly. He turned his face to look at me. "Is there anything I can do for you? Anything at all?"

I though for a second.

"A press conference."

He frowned.

"A… press conference? I was expecting money, or..."

"I have no interest in money." I lied. "But It is time for me to announce my presence to Brockton Bay." I turned my head. "I'll leave the details to you. Choose the date and time yourself. I'll be there."

I flickered away, leaving a now-whole family in my wake. Tattletale was waiting for me in an alleyway, arms crossed casually as she leaned against the wall.

"That was very touching." She drawled. "But what next? Your crazy ass ribbon technique is way more advanced than my own Power, you don't have any real reason to keep me around. So what am I gonna be doing?"

I could sense a slight nervous anticipation in her voice. I suppose that if I could just leave her here, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It would be easier, certainly, but my instincts hadn't let me down yet - my entire power set was based of them after all - so I wasn't going to start doubting them now.

"Well?" Asked Tattletale.

I met her eyes.

"You're going to assist me from now on. My partner, so to speak." I said, my voice disinterested.

"But why?" Tattletale asked with a puzzled frown.

Considering her question, I suppose there was only one answer that I could give that would be entirely true.

"...Because I was lonely."

Tattletale's gaped slightly, genuinely surprised for once. She quickly schooled her facial features back to neutrality instead of her usual smirk.

"Huh."

She kicked off from the wall and met my eyes, then grinned widely.

"So I guess I was saved by the _power of friendship_ , hm?"

I sighed.

* * *

 **Not much too talk about down here. Yes, the whole interaction between Taylor and Miss Militia/Assault was pretty bullshit, but I needed to let Taylor get away with keeping her favourite snarky villainess without getting into a fight. This was the most reasonable way I could reach this outcome. Sorry if it offends anyone, but I value plot over realism. Just the way I write.**

 **And for anyone hoping for a bit of Noelle, fret not. She'll be dealt with in the interlude, in a way that I personally think is pretty interesting. It'll introduce a whole new aspect to With Grace and Elegance, and add in some more similarities to the original Bleach manga/anime. Which is always a good thing.**

 **Thank you for reading, and please don't forget to write a review. They're far more encouraging than a follow/favourite. Even if they're negative.**


	14. Scream - Interlude

**Sickness + School + Devilman Crybaby = Not much time for little old me.**

 **That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it. The original plan was for a chapter of With Grace and Elegance to come out more or less every week. Obviously didn't work out this time, seeing as I'm publishing about 15 days after the previous chapter. But through a mixture of a metric ton of work, a short but nasty throat infection and the brilliance that is Devilman Crybaby (Still broken up about the ending), I've been distracted. Bad excuse? Maybe, compared to others. But it wasn't a huge wait (only an extra week). I reckon you can all deal with it.**

 **On the plus side, With Grace and Elegance finally breach that 1,000 follow mark. Yay! And now I've got my eyes set on a 1,000 favourites... guess the sky's the limit, hm?**

 **Many thanks to my Beta, Zaralann.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach or Worm. They belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

Coil was very quickly learning that Regalia was not to be underestimated.

He hadn't expected the girl to be able to defeat the Travellers. Certainly, they weren't the most powerful Capes in Brockton Bay, with the exception of Noelle and maybe Sundancer. Noelle's power didn't need to be explained, but if Sundancer was allowed to increase the strength of her orb for long enough, then she would most likely be able to take down the likes of Lung.

But she had defeated the Travellers with seemingly no effort, even with the hindrance of his _pet_. It was concerning, almost enough to make him nervous. Even when he was being carried through the suburbs of Brockton Bay in one of his many subtly armoured cars, he could feel the distant surges of Regalia's power. He noted that the air had grown especially thick when she had released that golden energy blast.

He leaned back and closed his laptop with a soft click, storing the device that he had been viewing the fight upon away in the side of the door.

In hindsight, Coil was very glad that he had chosen to stage his trap in a false base, rather than his real one. He hadn't been certain which option to pick, staying in his own, true base would have given him far more firepower to deal with Regalia, but using a fake base had given him an easy retreat option. He was also glad that he had left the majority of his mercenaries in his true base, he doubted that they would have made much of a difference in the fight against her. At least this way, he didn't have to deal with a severe lack of firepower. Instead, it was only a slight lack. Certainly, he had lost almost all of his Parahuman firepower in under a week, but it wasn't a problem that couldn't be fixed. The Protectorate was, after all, hilariously easy to break into. No, he had a much more pressing concern than the loss of the Travellers and Undersiders.

Regalia.

The girl had shown a ridiculous amount of growth in under a week, going from struggling with the Undersiders to taking out the Travellers with a few casual sword swings and an energy blast. It was such obscene growth that he actually doubted that he could deal with her. After all, how could you kill an opponent that could teleport, control thousands of tiny blades, turn sword-swings into Blaster attacks and bind your hands with a casual flick of the finger? It was like trying to deal with _Eidolon_.

But everyone had their weaknesses. For Lung, it was the time he took to ramp up. For Kaiser, it was his frailty, and lack of speed to compensate for that weakness of body. For Armsmaster, it was his reliance on his halberd. For Hookwolf, it was his lack of ranged firepower. Almost every cape in Brockton Bay was exceedingly powerful in one aspect, and pathetically weak in another. Even he was succept to this rule, his own lack of any combat-oriented Powers forced him to rely on other Capes.

Regalia's weakness seemed obvious at first. The girl had never shown any real form of Brute powers, she was almost certainly as frail as Kaiser was, considering the fact that Bitch's bullet had pierced straight through her shoulder. But said frailty was only a vulnerability if you ignored what was quickly becoming her signature ability - the technique she used to flicker through the air at ridiculous speeds. She had also shown a form of limited combat awareness, dodging strikes that had come from out of her field of vision, strikes which she shouldn't have been able to detect.

Point was, Regalia didn't seem to have any discernible weaknesses that he could take advantage off. She was fast, offensively strong, defensively strong, and ridiculously versatile. But she did possess a single, crippling weakness. A weakness which nearly all Capes shared.

A secret identity.

As soon as one had learned a Cape's secret identity, he or she had instantly one. It opened up a variety of options, from targeting the family and friends of said Cape, or just targeting the Cape themselves when they had put their guards down. You could threaten them with blackmail, target the livelihoods of their secret identities, lay bombs where you knew they worked. It was an easy, simple way to kill any Cape that stood in his way. Unfortunately, he couldn't use this strategy with every Cape. In fact, he could barely use it with _any_.

It lay in the Unwritten Rules that one wouldn't reveal a Cape's secret identity, but Coil never had and never would care about those useless restraints. No, what stopped him was usually the restraints he faced in real life.

This technique was far less useful against Independent Capes. This was because Independents had a tendency to not even have a secret identity, devoting all their time and energy to their Cape identity. They also tended to lack any form of familial ties that he could take advantage off. Of course, Regalia would most likely be the exception to that rule, for two reasons.

The first was her age. Regalia, for all of her overbearing attitude and surprisingly sharp mind, was still a teenager. This meant that she was almost certainly living with her parents or some sort of family. The second reason behind her susceptibility to this weakness was her encounter with Shadow Stalker.

Regalia had revealed that Shadow Stalker was the cause for her Trigger Event. Shadow Stalker, also known as Sophia Hess. It hadn't been particularly hard to discover the girl's identity, he had done so with a combination of bugs on her clothing and equipment and a multitude of paid of criminals tailing her on separate occasions, all the while using his own powers to make sure everything went smoothly.

Undertaking such an endeavour, while keeping it out of the eyes of the Protectorate and Shadow Stalker herself had taken a good amount of time, effort and money, but it would be worth it. Shadow Stalker had almost certainly caused Regalia to trigger while in her civilian identity, she wouldn't dare to even _touch_ a civilian with harmful intent while in her Cape outfit. Which meant that Regalia and Shadow Stalker both probably knew each other outside of their Cape identities, yet most likely not as friends. And what was one the one place that teenager's always met each other at?

School. More specifically, Winslow, where Sophia Hess attended.

Now it was only a matter of tracking down which students of Winslow matched Regalia's description, and had been absent to class when Regalia was venturing out into the city.

And from there? Well, it was only a matter of choosing what to do with said secret.

Behind his mask, Thomas Calvert, Assistant director of Brockton Bay's PRT, smiled widely.

Lisa was bored.

It had only been a day, and she was already bored out of her skull. Endlessly waiting and watching, circling around the same city block without anything she could do without failing her task. It was a tremendous pain in the ass.

When Regalia had dropped Dinah off at her home, an obvious question had remained. What would they do when Coil came back to recapture Dinah? He obviously would, seeing the effort he went to to capture her the first time. But Regalia couldn't hang around the house constantly, she was busy doing whatever she did when not tearing Villains a new asshole. So Regalia, in all her wonderful intelligence, had decided to have Tattletale/Lisa, her brand new partner, watch the house until Coil showed up.

It was about as boring as it sounded.

Lisa had been using her power to stay more or less undetected, moving to wherever she needed to be to avoid suspicion. Currently, she was sitting on a rickety bench about a hundred metres away from the actual house. She couldn't leave the area, nor could she stop skimming the area with both her eyes and power. As dull as this was, she did owe Regalia a big one, and she had to repay it _somehow_. She had just expected something a bit more glamorous when she signed up to be the partner of a ridiculously powerful Hero.

When Lisa had asked how she would contact Regalia if she did see Coil, the white-clad cape had actually hesitated. _Hesitated._ It was one of the first signs of weakness, signs of humanity, that she had actually seen from the girl. Even her declaration of loneliness the other day had been cold, almost entirely lacking the emotion that such a statement would usually have.

Lisa had decided to take it easy on the girl, and had offered to buy her a flip phone. Regalia had hesitated again, then nodded and deemed that ' _such a solution would be acceptable_ '.

Would it kill her to act just a little bit more… _likeable_? If she didn't want to be lonely, then why did she have to act like such a cold hard bitch? Why bother with such a personality at all, wouldn't it be better to just stay silent, instead of coming across as an arrogant, if regal, girl?

Hard questions to answer. But that wasn't really her problem with Regalia. Sure, her attitude could be both irritating and intimidating, but every Cape had their own little quirks, and she was nowhere near as bad as Bitch or Regent. No, her attitude wasn't what put Lisa off.

The first was that her Power didn't really work on Regalia. Not properly anyways.

When they had first met, all the way back at the Bank, she had tried to delve into the new Cape's Powers. All she had received was a vicious headache, and a single word. _Inhuman._ Whether that was referring to the strength of the Powers, where they came from, or simply how they worked, Lisa didn't have a clue. All she knew was that Regalia's powers were different from a regular Cape's, enough so that her own Thinker-Powers were nullified.

But when it came to personality, Lisa's Powers worked perfectly fine.

It wasn't a good thing

On the surface, Regalia seemed like a more or less normal person. She had been surprised to find that her regal bearing wasn't really faked, her emotions were genuinely dampened during battle and the confident way she held herself was very much real, instead of being some sort of mask or shell that she used as a Cape.

When Lisa had gone a bit deeper, she had find the human being behind the elegant demeanour. Someone who had been born into happiness, which had slowly but surely downgraded to misery and depression. Regalia was someone who had taken life's shit for year upon years, slowly crumbling under the pressure that was the real world. It was only when she had received her Powers that she truly changed herself, starting fighting back. There had been some sort of interference there, but her Powers had decided to fail her once again, leaving her with a blank space.

But then Lisa had gone even deeper, unearthed what really made up the core of who Regalia was.

And it had scared her.

At the base of it all, beneath the elegant demeanor, beneath the depression, beneath everything that made up Regalia, there was something truly rare.

Someone who would do anything to get the job done. A cold, near inhuman being that would measure human lives on a scale and cut down any who even tried to oppose her. If Lisa had to guess, the emotions at the core of Regalia were the base of said Cape's Powers, as cruel and unfeeling as the blades she used.

Thankfully, that brutality was tempered with the humanity of Regalia herself, subdued and suppressed beneath a genuine desire to help the others that inhabited her shithole of a hometown. As of right now, Regalia would be horrified by even the thought of taking a life, although she wouldn't hesitate to brutally maim and injure her opponents. Twisted morality certainly, but practically every Cape, whether Hero or Villain, had a fucked up head. Hell, even Lisa herself did, she had been planning on utterly ruining Panacea's and Glory Girl's relationship with each other, even though she knew it was one of the only things that kept Panacea together.

No, right now, she had no reason to be afraid of Regalia. Sure, the girl was pretty brutal when she had to be, but nothing particularly savage. What scared Lisa was the potential that Regalia had, the potential to be a ruthless killer that cared so little for basic human morals or ethics that they wouldn't even register in her mind. A moral system that wouldn't make sense to any human mind.

Regalia had the potential to be an inhuman killing machine. All it would take was a single bad day, one bad moment, and the troubled but innocent girl that was Regalia could very well become a killing machine that cared only for the greater good.

In a way, that was why Lisa had accepted Regalia's offer for partnership. Certainly, she owed the sword wielding Hero a big, _big_ debt. But she also didn't want to see Regalia turn into that monster.

So she would stick by the Hero. Her job wasn't just to help Regalia through her external problems, like dealing with the numerous Villains that infected Brockton Bay, but also to help her with her internal problems, to be some sort of makeshift, superpowered therapist.

What was the world coming to, when a manipulative Villain had to stop a Hero from going off the deep end?

* * *

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 **Topic: Regalia**

 **In: Boards Brockton Bay Capes**

 **ILaughInTheFaceOfDeath** (Veteran Member)

Posted April 18th 2011

Holy shit snacks. Y'all remember how Regalia took out the Undersiders a day or two ago? Well, it seems like our sword-wielding hero is on a bit of a rampage, cause I've got footage **here** of her tearing the Travellers a new asshole. And she doesn't even look tired.

 **Mullets = Power** (Transcendental being)

Replied April 18th 2011

Damn. _Damn._ Did you see that energy blast? And the way she took out Sundancer? I'm pretty sure she couldn't do that kinda stuff at the bank battle with The Undersiders…

 **One Winged Angel** (Veteran Member)

Replied April 18th 2011

Looks like our little girl is all grown up now.

 **Girth over Length**

Replied April 18th 2011

God, did you have to make it weird?

Ignoring Pedo McRape face over here, does anyone know why she was chanting before she launched that blast? It kinda sounded like poetry, but she's never had to do anything like that before.

 **Bagrat** (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Replied April 18th 2011

Take note that the blast that she launched was way, way more powerful than anything she's done before. Maybe she needs to chant like that to actually launch a blast of that magnitude? Weird, but from what we've already seen, Regalia's power set is pretty fucking weird? Come on, blades that look like flower petals? Badass as all hell, sure, but also super weird.

 **Headscrew & Stitches**

Replied April 18th 2011

Fun Fact: Raikoho (Japanese), the name of that big ol electricity/energy attack that Regalia used directly translates to "Fiery Lightning Howl."

 **Metastability** (Veteran member)

Replied April 18th 2011

Made a gif of Sundancer receiving those majestic double sword strikes, right **here.**

 **Mullets = Power** (Transcendental being)

Replied April 18th 2011

Pure. Gold. I will watch that for all eternity.

 **ALLHAILTHELOG**

Replied April 18th 2011

Why don't we just take a second to appreciate how bloody powerful Reggie has gotten? She presumably just took out all of the Travellers _by herself_ , and she doesn't even look tired. Hell, she was probably carrying that girl on her back the entire time, which means that she would have been fighting at less than her full strength. Speaking of which, does anyone know who that girl is?

 **Bagrat** (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Replied April 18th 2011

I saw her returning to the girl to her house a few days, she probably went straight there after getting rid of the Travellers. I'm pretty sure the house belongs to the cousins of the Mayor, so that makes the girl Dinah Alcott (I think?)

 **Headscrew & Stitches**

Replied April 18th 2011

After a bit of research, it turns out that one Dinah Alcott was captured a few days ago, precisely at the same time as the Undersiders' bank robbery. Some sort of villain conspiracy mebbe?

 **XxVoid_CowboyxX**

Replied April 18th 2011

Who cares about any of that shit? I want to see what she looks like under those robes. There's no way she isn't hiding a smoking hot bod underneath those clothes, someone with that kind of confidence is gonna have the face and body to back it up.

 **XxVoid_CowboyxX has been banned for multiple reasons that no one cares to list (Again? Really?)**

 **Tin Mother** (Administrator)

Replied April 18th 2011

I've lost count of the amount of times I've either had to put you on probation or ban you VoidCowboy. I would ask you to stop, but we all know that you won't.

 **Girth over Length**

Replied April 18th 2011

God. I'm fairly certain he's _trying_ to get banned at this point.

 **ALLHAILTHELOG**

Replied April 18th 2011

'Fairly Certain'? Hon, It's practically a fact of nature. The earth spins, the birds sing, and Void Cowboy gets removed from the PHO forums.

 **End of Page** **1** **, 2, 3, 4**

* * *

Regalia was one of the most irritating Capes Emily had ever had the displeasure of knowing.

She wanted to liken her a bit to Glory Girl. Near undefeatable, but a pain in the ass to deal with. But that comparison didn't really work because there had never, _ever,_ been a Cape that had pushed her into considering drinking on the job. And here she was, contemplating ordering someone to get her a shot from somewhere, and try and drown her problems with it.

She would never actually do something like that, she was far too devoted to her work to slack off. But this girl? This Regalia? She was a walking, talking _irritation._ She had stuck Emily in between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, she could oppose and try to capture Regalia, a decision which had plenty of consequences. On the other hand, she could forget their past grievances and work together against the remaining villains in the bay. This solution had it's issues as well. Because of course it did. Everything in this city was a fucking issue for her. She just had to choose the option which was less of an issue for her.

If she chose to directly oppose Regalia, then the most obvious problem would be that she would be making enemies with a _very_ powerful Parahuman. She had been dangerous enough with the abilities she had shown at the bank fight with the Undersiders, but since then she had shown over five new techniques, and she didn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Hell, you could see her strength in just her combat record alone, Undersiders and Travellers were proof alone, and that was discounting what she had done to Oni Lee.

Point was, Regalia could either greatly benefit their side, or become a very worrying hindrance.

The second issue with opposing the girl was public backlash. Regalia hadn't been around for very long at all, yet she already had a sizeable following on Parahumans Online, and was being looked to as the Cape that could finally pull Brockton Bay out if it's Villain-ridden slump. Her following had only increased when a video was posted of her launching that blast of lightning at Genesis, a technique which could easily rival Legend, discounting the lengthy poem/chant that had led up to it.

While most people thought that being a Hero was all about beating up Villains and saving civilians, most people were idiots. Being a Hero consisted of two things. What you actually do, and what the public sees you do. Directly opposing a powerful Cape in the Bay would be horrific for PR, it would dishearten some and anger others, but the question that would be asked by all would be ' _Why are you fighting each other, when there are so many others that need to be fought?_ '. Certainly, the amount of foul language and petty insults would vary from person to person, but the general reaction would be the same.

Even if she revealed that she had broken Tattletale out of prison, Regalia could easily counter with the fact that Shadow Stalker had caused her to Trigger, assumingly while in civilian identity. Which would be absolutely _nightmarish_ for everyone involved. Shadow Stalker was getting her due, she would be sent to a Juvenile Detention facility the second Piggot had the evidence she needed. The Protectorate of Brockton Bay might be severely lacking when it came to Heroes, but there was no way in hell that Piggot was allowing a girl who had not only caused the Trigger of, but attempted to assault another girl. She would readily admit that she wasn't the nicest of human beings, but she had morals and standards. And the day she let Capes under her watch abuse others was the day that she gave up on life and ate a bullet.

But both of these problems were fixed if she decided to discard past grievances and work with Regalia. They would have a powerful Cape on their side, and wouldn't suffer from any form of lashback. In fact, they could even run some sort of public event to show that Regalia and the Protectorate were working together, which could very well send public approval through the roof.

So if one looked at all the facts, the logical option to pick would be to side with Regalia. After all, it wasn't like Tattletale was a particularly important Villain to have imprisoned, and the good she had done had far outdone the bad. But there was, unfortunately, another aspect to be added to the equation. Because god forbid that anything involving Regalia be simple and easy.

She also had to consider the feelings of her Heroes. When she said Heroes, she really meant Hero. Namely, Armsmaster. Sure Shadow Stalker had some pretty serious issues with the girl, and the Wards were irritatingly upset about seeing one of their teammates have their hand removed. But their emotions weren't important enough to truly weigh in on her decision making process, they simply weren't important enough when comparing to a Cape like Regalia.

No, the one Cape who could very possibly influence her decision was the blue-armoured asshole known as Armsmaster. Regalia had slighted him not once, but twice, even though he did admit that he hadn't been particularly courteous during their first meeting. But after Regalia had attacked both him and Dauntless, he had started to harbour a miniature vendetta against the girl, enough for him to protest strongly against any decision that implied that they were allying with the girl that had shown her superiority to him twice.

Fool of a man. If he could just put aside his damnable pride, then he might even be able to reach his loft ambitions…

But as much as Armsmaster irritated her, the man was one of her most prominent Heroes, and one of the most effective ones too. She couldn't just disregard his opinions on the matter, as much as she wanted too.

But this left her in a rut. If she chose to side with Regalia, she would be slighting one of her most prominent heroes, and Armsmaster had shown repeatedly that he held onto his grudges for a _very_ long time. But if she chose to oppose Regalia, she would be pushing away a Cape that was quickly becoming one of the most powerful in the bay, and potentially making her an enemy of the Protectorate.

Emily grunted unhappily.

A small, circular metal desk inserted into the wood of her desk started to flash with a blue light, signalling a call from the director of the PRT, Rebecca Costa-Brown.

 _...Just what I needed. How absolutely wonderful._

Emily straightened her back as much as she could and linked her hands together over her desk. A large screen descended from the ceiling, obscuring most of the wall. It flashed on, revealing a frowning latino woman wearing a charcoal grey suit.

Emily nodded in respect.

"Director Costa-Brown." She said. The Director of the PRT nodded in return.

"Piggot." She said, her voice as stern and unwavering as ever. "Regalia, the new cape in Brockton Bay? We need to talk about her."

Emily restrained her surprise. Why would someone as high-up in the ranks as Costa-Brown concern herself with, or even know about a small time Cape like Regalia, even if the girl did possess a very impressive set of grab-bag Powers.

"What about her?" Emily asked, mildly curious.

"I'd like you to tell me what you know about her. A short summary will suffice."

Emily grunted in response. Regalia had been at the forefront of her thoughts for a while now, she wouldn't need to bring up any files to give a brief summary.

"Regalia is a new Independent in Brockton Bay. She first surfaced a few weeks ago, entering combat with Oni Lee. He hasn't shown himself since. Disappeared for about two weeks, then resurfaced in an attempt to stop a bank robbery. More recently, she's single-handedly taken down both Undersiders and Travellers, small time Villains with moderately powerful members. The girl has a varied set of Powers, although her more powerful abilities seem to revolve around the swords she wields. She also possesses a near-instantaneous high speed movement technique that she uses to high effect, the only limitation of which seems to be that she can't travel through solid objects." Emily said. Her summary had lacked much detail, but the director could easily access the rest through the PRT database.

The director sighed and closed her eyes.

"Her growth rate is ridiculous, isn't it?" Emily nodded. "She won't be slowing down anytime soon. According to a powerful Thinker, one who would prefer to go unnamed for the time being, the girl will eventually become one of the foremost Capes in the world, in both power and popularity." Costa-Brown opened her eyes and locked gazes with Emily. "We're in dark times, Emily. Our heroes are outnumbered and outgunned in most parts of the world, and that's not considering the casualties we suffer from Endbringer attacks. We _cannot_ afford to have Regalia as an enemy." The Director leaned forward. "I don't particularly care how you do it, Emily, but I want good relations with Regalia before the week is out." Emily nodded in confirmation. It was a difficult task, but not impossible. The hardest thing to do would be tracking the girl down. "Thank you for your time, Director Piggot." Rebecca Costa-Brown said with a polite and empty smile.

The feed cut off.

Emily leaned back in her chair and sighed tiredly. It would seem that the option to choose had been taken out of her hands. And if this anonymous thinker was correct, then having good relations with Regalia was far more important than Armsmaster's wounded pride.

Someone knocked on her door, three sharp knocks.

"Director? You'll want to see this." The voice of Andrew Smith, one of her Lieutenants.

Emily pressed a button on the underside of her desk, opening the door automatically. Smith was holding up a tablet, showing what looked like an advertisement, with a high definition picture of Regalia from the Bank attack, surrounded by a sea of pink petals, in the centre. And along the bottom of the picture were the words ' _ **Press Conference for the new hero of Brockton Bay: Regalia**_ '.

Emily raised an eyebrow.

"Well. That's convenient."

* * *

Marissa swore internally.

Twice, just for good measure.

She didn't really know what she was swearing at. Herself? For being taken out like that so easily? Coil, for pushing them into fighting a Cape they had barely any information on? Regalia, for carelessly defeating them and leaving, all without looking the least bit interested in what was going on around her? Or maybe just the world/worlds, for placing her in such an unbelievably shitty position?

Luke, sitting next to her, wasn't so subtle in his cursing.

"Fuck. Son of a… FUCK!" He roared, face undoubtedly contorted into rage behind his mask.

Krouse simply seethed silently across from them, what little she could see of his body displaying his simmering rage.

They were all bundled up in containment foam, trussed up neatly and being carted away to whichever prison cell the Protectorate was going to put them. They'd truly know their fates in about a week. Either Coil would break them out, or he'd just leave them imprisoned. Marissa was leaning towards the latter option. Coil was potentially the single most untrustworthy man she had ever met, barring none.

She wasn't particularly sure that being locked away bothered her. Hell, she might even prefer it. It had been so long, the fighting the running… always running. To just give it all up… it sounded like something from a dream.

But they couldn't do that, of course. They couldn't just let go. After all, they had a responsibility, not just to their friend, but to the world.

"Noelle." Luke and her both locked eyes with Krouse from behind their masks. "Noelle's in trouble." He said. "It's pretty obvious that Coil hasn't found, or come anywhere close to finding, a cure. Knowing him, he's most likely decided to simply cut his losses. He'll get rid of her without a second thought."

"That's only the case if Coil decides to leave us imprisoned. He wants our allegiance, he'll have to cater to our needs. Noelle is one of them." Marissa said quietly.

She didn't enjoy being the voice of optimism, but it was a role she often had to take. Luke snorted derisively.

"You really think that Coil, a guy who uses a fucking _snake_ as his motif, is going to have the backs of his allies? He'll ditch us the second he doesn't need us."

Both her and Krouse grunted in agreement.

"Anyone know where Jess is?" Asked Krouse.

Luke stayed quiet for a few seconds, then snorted in irritation. Maybe he'd tried to shrug his shoulders?

"No." Said Luke. "Hopefully she got away, but there's only so much speed a girl on a wheelchair can gain."

Krouse sighed.

"Looks like this is the end then, hm?"

Marissa wanted to deny him, but found that she just couldn't get the words out.

"...Goddamnit." Luke muttered bitterly.

* * *

 **Welp. Bit of a boring one, but it was necessary plot and character juice. Hopefully the PHO interlude spiced things up enough to keep it interesting. And speaking of PHO sections, I threw a handful of references into the usernames. I'm interested to see how many of them you got (hopefully most of them, they weren't exactly obscure references.)**

 **One final thing to talk about before I head off: Contessa, and her power. Those who are really, _really_ well versed in Worm canon will know that Contessa's powers actually working on Regalia are iffy at best. But there's a perfectly good explanation for any canon fuck-ups of mine, so please hold your horses for a few chapters. I'll be throwing in a short interlude to explain Cauldron's side of the story, at least in relation to Regalia. **

**With all that said and done, it's time for me to catch up on some schoolwork.**

 **As always, thank you for reading.**


	15. Shoot to Kill 3-1

**For this arc, I decided to change things up a bit. Instead of forging and meeting the Zanpakuto in the first chapter, a restraining, bad for plot feature, I've decided to instead put the forging of the new blade when Taylor undergoes an important enough moment, when she get's that surge of emotions required to forge her sword. The Zanpakuto to be forged will most likely come into play in the second or third chapter. Tell me what you think about this, it'll define whether I continue to use this structure or not.**

 **And this upcoming arc? It's going to be a big one. Scatter was really just an introductory arc, and Scream was just me trying to get my shit together and learn how to actually write a good story. But Shoot to Kill? If all goes well, this arc will be** _really_ **goddamn good. Because not only are we dealing with the ABB, my preferred Worm Villains, but we're also going to be getting lot's of character development on Taylor's side, which is a very good thing; she was starting to feel a bit flat and one-dimensional to me. This entire arc is planned out, and I know exactly what I want to do with it, unlike the others, which I was just making up as I went along. Point is, this arc should be awesome, as long as everything goes as planned.**

 **As always, many thanks to my Beta, Zaralann.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach or Worm. They belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow Respectively.**

* * *

I fiddled with my haori.

Directly in front and below me was the city hall, the place that my press conference had been advertised for. There were people liberally spaced around it - not as many as an official Hero or Heroine might have, but still a large amount of people - some obviously paparazzi and news reporters, others just ordinary people that wanted to see Regalia. For whatever reason, they still hadn't seen me, even though I wasn't trying to be inconspicuous, standing on a rooftop like I was.

But I wasn't really focusing on my surroundings. Instead, my attention was focused inwards. It was rather unbelievable: after facing down the likes of Coil and Oni Lee that I should have _stage-fright_ in front of a bloody press conference of all things. But it seemed to be the case.

Maybe it was due to how important this event was for me. Oh certainly, compared to everything else I had done in my few weeks of cape-ing, it didn't seem particularly important. But it was. I wasn't stupid, I could easily see how important PR was for any hero. Each Hero had an image, a reputation, that they spent their entire lives building up towards. Alexandria had her stern, powerful demeanour, Legend had his charismatic, heroic personality. Each and every Hero had an image, an _ideal,_ that was an integral part of their cape identities. And this was my first true display of that image, that ideal.

But it did make a certain amount of sense. Up until now, I had been just an independent Cape, a small blip on the radar of Brockton Bay. But this conference would put me out there, simultaneously revealing myself to the world and painting a target on my back as one of the only, actually decent Independents working in Brockton Bay.

A door clicked open behind me.

I spun around hastily and drew Senbonzakura from the Spirit World, holding the blade in a loose ready position at my side. A chubby, suited man stood behind me with his hands raised in the air, eyeing my blade nervously. He had come up from the stairwell behind me. It was a problem that he had actually managed to take me by surprise, if he had been a Cape I could very well be dead right now. I needed to start focusing on my surroundings more.

"Regalia?" He asked, voice wavering slightly.

My blade dispersed into the typical flower petals, and he visibly relaxed, lowering his hands and meeting my eyes.

"Yes?" I asked, hoping my nerves didn't show in my voice.

"I work for Mr Alcott. He'd like you to come through the back of the hallway instead of the front, said that it'd better for PR if it seemed like you had been behind the organization of the conference. He, _uh_ , sent me to tell you that, and that there's an entrance around the back of the hall."

"Ah… I see. Thank you for your services, Mr. ..."

"Richard Maguire." He replied, much more confident after I thanked him.

I flickered and disappeared, moving across the rooftops to the back of the city hall. Sure enough, there was an entrance there, along with a suited man and rather rotund woman. Who was also suited.

It was only when I appeared in front of the woman did I realize that she was Emily Piggot, Director of the PRT.

I stepped back, eyes wide, hand out and ready to draw a sword. I didn't want to attack right away, as that would only put me on even worse standing with the Protectorate, but I also didn't want to be off guard if the heroes decided to strike.

The Director frowned, but didn't make a move to attack, or signal one. She just nodded at me.

"Regalia. I am here to personally apologize for the slights that Shadow Stalker has done upon you."

I was nowhere near over what that _rabid animal_ had done to me, I could feel an angry sneer growing on my face at the mere mention of her name. I controlled my fluctuating emotions and straightened my back. First nervousness, and now anger? It was what had gotten me into the bad books of the Protectorate in the first place.

"I assume that she shall be punished accordingly for her actions?"

The Director smirked nastily.

"Oh trust me, she's getting what she deserves. It's almost a blessing to be rid of her." Her face returned to that seemingly permanent scowl. "On that note, you won't be trying to assault her in prison any time soon, I hope."

Prison? I would have far preferred for her to be sent to the Birdcage, for her to be beaten and tormented like I was, or even to just see her defeated before she was sent off. But I would make do, I didn't want _Sophia_ to taint my life any longer. .

"Don't worry yourself. I've taken my due from Sophia." A lie. "I see no further reason in holding a grudge. It's a waste of my time." She grunted in agreement. "And in regards to your apology..." I continued. "I accept gratuitously. Can I assume that there won't be any further... _issues_ , with any of your Heroes?"

"Most of them have no problem with forgiving you. You are, after all, still a teenage girl, prone to moments of irrationality. I would suggest watching out for Armsmaster, he still harbours a certain amount of resentment for you."

I tutted my tongue irritably.

"I'll keep that in mind." It was disappointing that a man I had once revered had turned out to be so foolishly prideful.

I looked to the open hallway behind Piggot, noticed Mr. Alcott standing there with a rather anxious expression on his face.

"If you would be so kind?" I questioned to Piggot, gesturing to the hallway behind her.

She grunted once more and walked past me, the suited man moving with her too. I strode forwards through the hallway, my fingers toying with the fabric of my haori. There was an open stage at the end of the short hallway, revealing a lit stage and a podium, the sounds of chattering reporters flooding through the hallway to meet my ears. Mr. Alcott smiled at me as I reached him. He gestured to the open stage with a thumb.

"You've got twenty minutes up there. Hall's nearly full to the brim. Guess you're pretty popular." My nerves came back in full at his comment. Simply _wonderful_. "Hey." Mr. Alcott lay a hand on my shoulder and smiled at me. "You'll do fine."

He took his hand off my shoulder and walked off down the hallway.

Now I was being comforted by the people I was meant to protect. The people who were meant to rely on _me,_ not the other way around. Brilliant.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply, then extended my hand to the side. Senbonzakura's sheathed form materialized in my hand much slower, I felt myself growing calmer as my sword slowly came into existence, petals fluttering serenely to the ground as the smooth white wood caressed my hand.

I moved onto stage, the very image of elegance itself.

Camera flashes burst into existence, illuminating the stage with sterile white light. I even spotted a camera crew in the middle of the crowd of reporters. There was a podium and microphone at the front of the stage, I moved towards it at a relaxed pace.

There was a single paper on the centre of the podium, listing a few points of advice. There was one sentence that had been circled a few times together, only three words.

 _ **Stay In Control**_.

Well. I could do that.

I raised my hand, a hush falling over the room in the seconds that followed. The reporters all sat down, staring at me in unison. I stood still for a few seconds, not entirely certain of how to start the conference.

"Ladies and gentlemen." I stated simply, my voice resounding out through the room. I made a gesture with my hand. "Ask away."

A blonde woman with a ruddy face stood up from the front row.

"Jessica Pleasant, Independent Journalist." Her voice was rather reedy, I noted. "What are your Powers? They don't seem to follow any of the Rules that normally apply to Capes. Does the Manton Effect even apply to you?"

"I can't answer that question to my fullest extent, for rather obvious reasons." I replied. "But my Powers are predominantly Blaster and Striker based, although I do hold many minor Powers that fit into other classifications. And _no_ , the Manton Effect does not apply to my powerset."

There were murmurs across the crowd, and the blonde haired reporter sat down. Another stood up, a thin black man this time.

"David Jefferson, Brockton Daily. Do you plan on joining any existing Hero groups, such as the Wards or New Wave?"

A rather easy question to answer.

"I plan to stay an Independent for the time being. But if I see sufficient reason to do so, then I shall join a Hero team."

More murmurs, and a smattering of camera flashes. The reporter sat down. It was a declaration of strength, most Heroes joined teams because they didn't have the strength to protect themselves and take out Villains by themselves. I had already proved that I could do so, with apparent ease.

"What are your opinions on the Protectorate?

"Good people doing good things." More or less the truth, if I ignored Armsmaster.

Another nameless, faceless reporter stood up.

"How did you get your hands on such a high quality outfit without the backing of any significant group?"

I ran a finger along my scarf, enjoying the feel of the smooth silk.

"I materialize my Shikkahuso and Haori through the usage of my Powers." I replied.

Another reporter stood up, young, handsome and asian. I noticed the sweat on his brow and the nervous quaking of his hands.

"All of your techniques use Japanese names. You also use katana's, asian weapons, as your primary method attack. Are you working with the ABB?"

The hand that was holding Senbonzakura twitched slightly. I felt my Reiatsu surge upwards, but pushed it down ruthlessly. I could be perfectly intimidating without my Powers, thank you.

"Would you mind repeating that?" I asked icily.

He flinched, but continued on anyways.

"I asked if..."

"Oh no, I heard what you said perfectly. I'm just having difficulty comprehending the _inconceivable_ idiocy of your question. No, I am not working with the ABB, nor will I ever do so." I narrowed my eyes. "Now please, sit down and _silence yourself_."

He started to sob.

I frowned in confusion. Certainly, I had been harsh, but I hadn't said anything that would induce a crying fit, especially for a reporter, who would have to deal with harsh criticism constantly.

 **(Play OST - Breakthrough Even)**

" _Oh dearie me Regalia, looks like you hurt poor widdle Katsuo's feelings. How very mean of you."_

I drew Senbonzakura from his sheath, a quiet, metallic _shink_ accompanying the smooth movement.

" _Oh no you don't. You twitch even the slightest amount, and the bomb that I've implanted in widdle Katsuo's chest goes bang. And trust me, it's a big fucking bomb. So sheath that sword of yours, and keep your hands where I can see them; don't want you launching any fancy magic at me, after all."_

I sheath my sword calmly, and let my hands drop to my sides. I didn't want to bet the lives of hundreds of people on my Shunpo Speed. The voice seemed to be emanating from the asian reporter who had suggested that I was working with the ABB.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice toneless and cold.

" _Only the greatest fucking tinker in the world! My name's Bakuda, and don't you dare forget that!"_

"Never heard of you."

" _You will. My bombs are the most powerful weapons in the world, you're cute little flower petals won't do jack shit against a tinker like me."_

" _..._ How very presumptuous of you _."_

" _Aw, well would you look at that. A little_ _ **brat**_ _throwing fancy words around, thinking that it makes her look clever. Get your head out of your own ass - throwing words around that have more than 4 syllables doesn't make you sound cool, it makes you sound ridiculous. Like a hispanic thug trying to speak the language of the rich. It's pathetic._

A flicker of reiatsu escaped my control, weighing down the air slightly. I restrained it quickly, but the fact remained that I had lost my temper, even if it was only a small reaction. The bomb didn't trigger, so I assumed that Bakuda hadn't been able to feel it.

"I assume that you have a reason for doing this _._ " I said calmly, acting as if my slip of control hadn't even happened.

She snorted.

" _Of course I do. This little hostage situation here? This is just the start of my reign of terror. I've got bombs set up all around this shithole city, and I can pick and choose which to activate, whenever I want. And I haven't just limited myself to explosives, I've got gas, acid, shrapnel and more; I've even got a little something that I like to call The Negative Space bomb. I'll give you three guesses as to what it does."_

… a Black Hole. Negative Space most likely meant Black Hole, like the grenade that Oni Lee had used in our fight. If Oni Lee had used one of Bakuda's grenades, that meant that…

I felt a small smile grow underneath my scarf.

"Tell me, how does it feel to work under the Dragon of Kuushu?"

"... _what?"_

"You work for the ABB, or more accuratley, Lung. When I encountered Oni Lee, he used a grenade that created a black hole. I assume that that was the Negative Space bomb, as you like to call it."

" _Get to the fucking point."_ she ground out.

"You pretend to be top dog, the best of the best. But in reality, you are simply another dog of the Dragon. A chained dog."

"... _you smug, uppity, bedsheet-wearing_ _ **bitch**_ _!_ " she bellowed, an almost psychotic rage filling her voice.

I frowned slightly, wondering if I had taken my mocking to far.

Bakuda snorted in disgust.

" _Well, I've got a little present for your bitchy ass."_

A red light lit up from underneath the reporter's jacket. He whimpered in fear.

 _Oh no._

" _Boom."_

 _The world exploded_.

* * *

 **(End OST - Breakthrough Even)**

When I came to, my entire vision was filled with flame.

I rolled backwards, scrambling away from the burning hot element. The entire front of the stage was covered with seething flames, burning away at the wood of the platform and leaving nothing but blackened matter in its wake.

The next thing that I noticed was the noise.

The room was a cacophonous mess of pained moans and agonised wails, the sound of unfiltered _pain_ reverberating through the room in a dreadful collection of sound.

My face turned to one of pure horror as I saw what had been done to the room. It looked like somewhere straight from hell. Body parts were scattered, a dismembered hand was lying only a few feet away from me. The center of the room was a mass of burnt, blackened flesh and bone, fused together by the heat of the explosion. Even those who had survived - a nauseatingly small number - were horrifically injured, burnt beyond recognition and missing limbs. Flames were eating up the walls and floor of the building, adding a hellish atmosphere to the scene that seemed to come straight from a nightmare.

I collapsed to my knees, tears streaming from my eyes, pathetic whimpering noises coming from the back of my throat. I had seen blood, I had experienced horrific pain myself. But _this_ was… it was a _nightmare._

Senbonzakura appeared with a flutter of petals, kneeling down in front of me and embracing me gently. I sobbed into his haori, devastated by the carnage lying in front of me. And even more than that, I was crushed by the idea that if I hadn't mocked her, if I had kept my _fucking pride_ in check, then maybe, just maybe, I could've stopped this from happening.

My cries of woe blended in with the rooms moans of agony.

"Taylor." I met Senbonzakura's eyes through a haze of tears. "You must help these people. Grieve later."

I nodded miserably, my throat too clogged by sadness to even let me reply.

Senbonzakura disappeared, the flow of petals streaming to the left of me, as if carried by an invisible breeze. I stood up shakily, swaying to and fro. I flinched in pain from the movement, my skin was burnt and singed all over. But it should have been far, far worse; I should have died. Another undiscovered aspect of my Powers perhaps.

I was too upset to spend time on the thought, instead concentrating on using a Shunpo to reach an unconscious journalist. When I appeared next to her, I noticed that both of her legs had been seared into unrecognizable lumps of flesh, a grotesque mix of blackened flesh and throbbing muscle. I clamped over my mouth, trying to hold back my bile.

It did no good. I bent over to the side and heaved, putrid colorless liquid spilling from my mouth. I had just barely managed to yank my scarf back in time. I glanced back to the Journalist, ruined legs quivering slightly. Holding back my wretched disgust, I put one hand underneath her hips and one underneath her head, wary of touching her blackened legs.

I flickered away in a sluggish Shunpo, appearing by the large doorframe. There was already a paramedic team outside, two of them opening the door to their ambulance. I used another Shunpo to appear inside the ambulance, laying the woman down as gently as I could with my shaking hands.

My next patient was the thin, black reporter who had questioned me, his right side a blackened ruin of flesh and cloth. I restrained my sobs once more, trying to restrain my emotions. But still my face remained the same, a horrific caricature of my usual expression, my face contorted into a desperate, grieving expression.

The work continued for nearly an hour, my endless, _too-slow_ Shunpo's bringing me back and forth from the hall to the street outside a countless amount of times. It was so bad that I lost track of how many people I carted outside, agonized faces blurring together. It was all a misery-filled blur to me, hours and hours of prolonged suffering, on both my part and the victims.

I wept the entire time.

* * *

 **Dearie me. Well kids, lesson learnt: don't antagonize insane, bomb wielding villains. It doesn't end well, as poor old Taylor found out this Chapter. But in all honesty, this chapter is a short but serious one, and is going to play a very large part in Taylor's character development for the upcoming arc.**

 **And now, it's time for some shameless self-advertising. I recently posted a new fic, it's called The Fourth Endbringer. You can find it on my profile (obviously). It really isn't anything like With Grace and Elegance, basically being a mish-mash of death, blood, gore and ridiculous levels of power. And Taylor will be at the centre of this violence-fest, tearing the heroes to shreds and literally wading through oceans of blood. And yes, I used that phrase in the actual fic, which makes me unfathomably lazy. Sue me.**

 **Thank you for reading, and please don't forget to review. Last chapter nearly hit the all time low for reviews, clocking in at a measly 21. The lowest ever is 18. And I really don't want to revisit digits that low again. So, you know. Review your little hearts away.**


	16. Shoot to Kill 3-2

**I don't know how this go past me, but With Grace and Elegance is currently on the front page of Worm Crossovers, in both Faves and Follows. Just... Holy shit. Progress has been made When I sit down and consider it, consider the number of people reading the stuff that I write, and actually _enjoying_ it, I just get this... sense of accomplishment, I suppose. I've done it! I'm up there with the likes of Ringmaker and A Survivor is Born - even if I'm not entirely certain that the quality of my work can really compare to theirs. And the craziest thing about this is that I've only been writing this fic for about four months - even though it feels like far, far longer. This means that I've reached that level of popularity of fics that have been around for _years._ It's insane.**

 **On the not so cheery side of things, I've had to downgrade my Update schedule to bi-weekly. In my defense, balancing two stories is tough. I tried to write two chapters per week, but I couldn't pull it off and keep my writing to relatively high quality. How the hell do some people do balance several fics at a time, and still keep them really fucking good? I'd apologize for this, but I don't really feel like there's anything to apologize for. Updates are now Bi-weekly. Nuff said.**

 **Thanks to Zaralann for being a great Beta.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach or Worm. They belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

Tattletale found me on a rooftop.

The rooftops of Brockton Bay were quickly becoming my favourite place to be, they were convenient, gave me a good view of the city and, most importantly, hid me from the people of Brockton Bay.

I was sitting down in a fetal position, the rooftop, sorting through the thousands of Spirit Ribbons that made up the Souls of the Bay. I couldn't find Bakuda. Maybe it was my distracted mindset, maybe my previous tracking down of Coil had been abnormally quick, maybe Bakuda wasn't even in the Bay. Whatever the reason was, I was getting nowhere in my search.

"There you are." Tattletale's lilting voice alerted me to her presence. I looked over my shoulder.

Tattletale was seated on the lip of the rooftop, leaning forwards lazily. She was only a few inches away from me. She must have climbed up the fire escape to get to me.

"Tattletale." I hated the quaver that my voice held.

My partner sighed and shuffled forward, lowering herself so that she was also leaning against the lip of the rooftop, instead of sitting on top of it. She stretched like a cat, straightening her legs out in front of her and cracking her neck with a lazy grace.

"So. You wanna talk about it?"

I glared at her in disbelief. She rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably.

"Sorry. I'm just… I've never really been one for comforting others. I'm much better at tearing people down than building them up."

She chuckled awkwardly.

I shifted, bringing my knees closer to my chest and resting my forehead on them. It felt safe.

"It's my fault." My voice was wet with tears. I wasn't surprised, it had only been an hour since I had killed over a hundred people. "If I had just… I could've… If I'd just restrained my pride…"

A sodden tear made its way down my face.

"It wasn't your fault." She consoled.

"Please don't… just... don't bullshit me."

She snorted.

"Bakuda is insane. She would've detonated the bomb with or without you insulting her. There was nothing you could've done." I glared at her. Tattletale sighed quietly and slumped her shoulders. "Alright. There were things you could've done. You could've used Senbonzakura to restrain the explosion. You could have used Shunpo to get the bomb outside. You could've defused the bomb with a well placed Byakurai." My hands clenched. "But you didn't. You didn't stop the bomb, and as a result, hundreds of innocent people died." Tears streamed from my eyes, carving deep tracks down the dirt and grime that layered my face. "Yes, people died. There's nothing you can do to change that. But you know what you can do?" She met my eyes, her face completely and utterly devoid of any humour. "You can go after Bakuda. Stop more people from getting hurt. Take the bitch down, make sure she never sees the light of day ever again."

"... Alright."

Tattletale sighed once more and stood up. I rose with her. Our eyes were locked. A smirk alighted upon her lips.

"After all, what's the point in fixating on the past?"

I wiped the tears from my eyes and smiled tiredly.

"Thank you, Tattletale."

She cackled and grabbed me in a one-armed hug, messing up my hair all the while.

"Now there's the Regalia we all know and tolerate!" Sighing, I pushed her arm off my shoulder and walked to the lip of the rooftop. The pure white ribbons reappeared, each gently swaying to and fro. Bakuda's spiritual ribbon came easily to me this time, tainted with sulfur and smoke. "Hey, Regalia." I looked over my shoulder at the freckled girl. "I'm Lisa." She held her hand out in front of her. "Lisa Wilbourn."

I hesitated for a second, uncertain. A wave of encouragement emanated from both Senbonzakura and Benihime, gently telling me to trust her. I tugged down my scarf and shook her hand, smiling with a timidity I hadn't felt in weeks.

"Taylor." I murmured.

She grinned and gestured grandly to the horizon.

"Go kick some ass."

I readjusted my scarf to cover my face, then disappeared with a quiet hiss of air.

* * *

Oni Lee was standing on a rooftop.

I had been blurring through the city, crossing it's width to reach Bakuda when I saw Oni Lee, simply standing there, apparently not doing anything.

I considered fighting him. The idea had its pros and cons. The obvious pro was that I could quickly deal with a mass-murdering sociopath, which would also help to weaken the ABB, the gang that Bakuda was a part of. On the other hand, it would take time, time which could be spent tracking down and dealing with Bakuda. But Oni Lee was a part of the ABB, so I might be able to glean some information about Bakuda from him.

"Regalia."

I started. How had he detected me? He wasn't even looking at me, I was standing on the rooftop behind him.

"Oni Lee. I replied with tranquillity.

He turned around, showing his mask to me. His left eye, the one I had removed, was covered by wood.

"I… will kill you." He droned, with the barest hint of anger in his tone.

I raised an eyebrow. "Very well then."

I drew Benihime's Shikai form and darted forward. Better to use the sword he was least familiar with.

My blade passed through the shoulder of his clone, which in turn disappeared in a puff of ash. My eyes flickered over the rooftops, searching for him. A second clone appeared behind me, knife raised. I flipped Benihime around and thrust backwards, impaling the clone through the throat.

There he was.

I used a near silent Shunpo to appear in the air above Oni Lee, - he had been crouching behind a radiator - extended my fingers and fired off a Byakurai. It pierced flesh, puncturing straight through his shoulder. He grunted, then burst into ash.

The Reishi gathered underneath my feet, giving me a platform to stand on. The Reiraku came into existence around me. My eyes flitted around, searching for a couple of seconds before I found him, a Soul with an echo of singed ash that felt strangely… empty. To my surprise, he was just standing there, completely exposed.

A clone, logically. Yet my Spirit Ribbons were telling me that he was the original. Why would he put himself at risk like that?

I Shunpo'ed forwards anyways, appearing before him and thrusting the blade through his hip. My eyes widened ever so slightly when he didn't burst into ash. Instead, blood sprayed from the wound, covering my hand with slick red liquid. One of his hands slammed down on my shoulder and gripped it tightly, the other went behind his back. He drew a colossal knife, steel edge glinting ominously.

Eyes wide, I used Shunpo to escape the death blow. Oni Lee came with me, his hand on my shoulder carrying him with me. The knife descended, tip angled towards my throat. I jerked to the side, raising my forearm to his wrist and angling his blow to the side. It still cut across my face, digging a deep trench through my skin. I flinched at the pain, then raised my index fingers into the air.

"Bakudo 1: Sai." I intoned stoically. His arms snapped together behind his back, knife tumbling from his grip. I placed my other hand on his stomach and threw him backwards with a quick utilization of Sho. He flew backwards through the air, over the gap between one rooftop and the next and colliding with a rusty radiator. The piece of junk bent inwards when he hit it. I heard sharp cracks and snaps emanate from his body, a telltale sound that some of his bones were broken. He slumped to the ground limply.

I might have, admittedly, put a bit too much of that power into that Sho.

I wiped away at the blood that flowed from my newly acquired wound with my hand, only to curse internally when I realised that my hands were also covered in blood.

"I can help with that."

I most certainly didn't jump at Benihime's sudden appearance. She was sitting cross-legged on the lip of the rooftop, directly between me and Oni Lee.

"And how would you go about doing that?" I asked, trying to pretend that my little jump had never happened. Judging by Benihime's smirk, her sudden appearance had been entirely intentional. I restrained my urge to hit her.

"What kind of a princess would I be if I didn't carry around a handkerchief?"

"An In-character one." I retorted idly, holding out my bloodied hand expectantly.

She produced a red piece of cloth from somewhere and plopped it into my hand. I returned my attention to my bloody hands and face, gently dabbing at the crimson liquid that covered my limbs.

The quiet shink of a sword being drawn drew my attention back to Benihime. I made a quiet gasp of shock when I saw what she was doing. She was on the other rooftop, Her cane-blade drawn and raised, angled for Oni Lee's throat. Her mouth was set at an uncaring tilt, her posture was calm and almost… relaxed?

I Shunpo'ed over to her and grabbed her sword arm in a tight grip. Our eyes met, mine narrowed in confusion and anger. Her red eyes were entirely too apathetic for my liking. Red?

"What are you doing?" I said tersely.

She gestured at Oni Lee's unconscious body with her free hand.

"Getting rid of a problem."

My Reiatsu surged, pressing down on the air around us with restrained but still crushing pressure. My eyes narrowed even further.

"By killing him?

Benihime closed her eyes. Her cane sword vanished in a red flash of light. When she opened her eyes again they had returned to their usual grey colour.

She sighed heavily. "It's the only way to permanently deal with him." I recoiled slightly. To hear this from one of my Zanpakuto, a part of my soul…

"How could you say something like that so… so casually!" I demanded.

"He's killed hundreds - if not thousands - of innocent people, Taylor. And he holds a personal vendetta - one aimed at you. You really think he would be willing to harm himself to get at just anyone?" She replied, entirely unflustered.

"But, he..." I stuttered, my usually perfect serenity destroyed for the second time in as many hours. "You can't just kill someone!" I cried out.

She removed my hand from her wrist gently, then turned her back to me and started to walk away.

"We'll see." She said lowly.

My Zanpakuto Spirit vanished in a burst of crimson.

I looked down at Oni Lee's unconscious body. If it hadn't been for me, a mass murdering sociopath would have met his end today. I had done the right thing, hadn't I?

Right?

* * *

At this point, I was sick and tired of life's bullshit.

Sick of Bakuda, sick of guilt, sick of complications, sick of moral dilemmas. This day had been one of my worst in months, I hadn't experienced this much negativity since I had been locked in the locker. All I wanted to do was go home, curl up in my bed and go to sleep. But, unfortunately, rest would have to wait. I had a psycho to catch.

Unfortunately, I had had to leave Oni Lee behind. I couldn't very well cart him with me to confront Bakuda, and it would take me far too long to move him to the Protectorate and then get back over here to fight Bakuda. I held the vain hope that the Protectorate might be able to pick him up, but It was extremely unlikely, so much so that I had resigned myself to fighting him again.

Bakuda's ribbon hadn't moved, still just sitting on the outskirts of the Bay. I was a few hundred metres away from her now, I could even see a warehouse in the distance, squat and ugly.

Fucking warehouses.

It took me a minute, but I eventually arrived at the warehouse. I didn't bother to scout the building out or anything like that. My Reiraku informed me that Lung wasn't in the building, and that was enough.

I didn't land on a rooftop or anything like that. Instead, I simply used Shunpo to appear in midair, Benihime in hand, a few metres away from a tinted window. I burst through the thing glass with a bright flare of crimson, glass showering over the long tables that crossed the floor of the warehouse, as well as the workers. They yelled in surprise and pain, some yanking guns from their waistbands, others stumbling backwards as shards of glass cut shallow gashes into their skin.

I blurred through the warehouse, striking down each ABB thug and moving onto the next in less than a second. I heard loud bellows of shock, anger and panic, but paid them no mind. I was only here for one person. These thugs were simple cannon fodder, not worth my time.

A colossal explosion resounded behind me. Bakuda, most likely. My eyes darted around the room, searching for a woman who might be the madwoman. It didn't take me long to find her - she was wearing a dull grey gas mask with red lenses that certainly looked cool, but didn't exactly help her fit in. She was standing at the end of the room, large grenade launcher held and aimed at me.

Well then.

I flickered across the room, darting left and right as to through off her aim. It worked - the explosions from her grenades never came close to striking me. After what was barely five seconds I was directly in front of her, body still extended in a runner-like position from my rapid fire Shunpo. I pressed a hand to her chest and pushed my Reiryoku through the limb.

"Hado 1: Sho."

She went rocketing backwards and slammed bodily against the wall behind her, grenade launcher tumbling from her hands. I surged forward, Benihime's tip angled towards her breast, intent on piercing her heart and ending her pathetic life.

 _What_?

Blood sprayed.

I choked in horror. My last second jolt of surprise had shifted my blade ever so slightly to the left, just enough so that it pierced her shoulder instead of her chest. The ABB cape bellowed in agony, pawing at the blade that was pinning her to the wall. I staggered backwards, yanking the blade from her wound as I did so. She screamed, falling to the ground as blood gushed from her wound.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" She screeched, clambering up and lunging forwards at me, knife drawn from a hip-holster.

Even in my state of shock, my body reacted instinctively, Benihime's blade flashing around in a circular parry and knocking the knife aside.

"Bakudo 1: Sai." I stammered, stepping to the left and bumping my hip on a table.

She fell forwards onto her face, hands snapping into position behind her back. Snarling gutturally, she slowly rose to her knees. I struck her down with the hilt of Benihime before she could raise herself up. Her body collapsed bonelessly.

I leaned back against the table and clenched my fists at my sides. I had just… I had nearly killed her. My blade had been aiming for her heart, fully intent on ending her life. And what was worse was the fact that I hadn't even questioned myself, hadn't even hesitated until the very last second. And If I hadn't done so… then right now I would be a murderer.

A killer.

Bakuda's blood dripped into my left eye, forcing it to shutter rapidly. I brushed it aside with a shaking hand.

For a second there, I hadn't had control of my own body. I had fallen into a trance, barely thinking over my actions before going through with them. And I had moved to kill her without hesitation, almost as if the act of murder was deeply ingrained in my subconscious.

In my Soul.

"Dammit." I spat.

Everything I was feeling right now, confusion, panic, terror… it was pushing down on me. I glanced at Bakuda again, imagined the burnt hellscape she had left behind with just a single one of her bombs. Didn't she deserve it? She was just like Oni Lee, a heartless slaughterer. Someone who didn't give two shits about human life, someone who could slit the throat of a child without even blinking. Were people like these worth being saved?

And if I killed them, did I bring myself down to their level?

"Woah." Came a voice behind me. I spun, Senbonzakura already drawn and ready. Glory Girl was hovering in midair, hands on her hips, an impressed expression on her face. "You don't fuck around, do you?" She murmured.

I crushed my emotions ruthlessly, pushed them deep, deep down. I really, really didn't need them right now.

"I suppose so." Went my reply, with far more serenity than I truly felt. Senbonzakura burst into pink flower petals.

I let my hands drop to my sides and adopted a calm, proud posture. Glory Girl snorted, then dropped from the air and crashed to the ground with a burst of dust and splinters. She strode over to where I was standing and considered Bakuda.

"Bakuda, right?" She asked, turning her head to me. I nodded. She gestured at the large hole in Bakuda's shoulder. "You're the one who did that?" I nodded again. She grunted, then grabbed the bomber by her shoulder - the uninjured one - and hoisted her over her back. "I'll take her to the Protectorate. Then we can get Panacea to fix the wound, and stuff her in a prison."

"Very well."

She chuckled again, then raised herself up into the air. She was halfway out the hole I had made in the wall when she realised I wasn't following her. She cocked her head to the side.

"You aren't going to come with? She was your capture, wasn't she?" She said.

I sighed and shook my head.

"I've got to take care of some personal matters." Namely, retreating to my bed and sorting through my feelings. "I'll presume to trust you with the credit behind the chapter."

She shrugged.

"You do you."

The white and gold clad girl drifted out of the window, Bakuda slung over her back.

* * *

It was dark by the time I got home.

After all of the events of the day, starting with the news conference - which had happened early afternoon - and ending with the capture of Bakuda, I wasn't particularly surprised. And it had taken me nearly an hour to get here, having to cross over most of the city from the outskirts to the docks.

I was unbelievably tired. Everything had taken its toll on me, and I just felt exhausted, down to my very bones.

I opened the back door of my house and slipped inside quietly. It was the most secretive way to enter; my window faced the street, and as such would reveal my identity to anyone bothered enough to look. The front door was ruled out for obvious reasons.

As weary as I was, I didn't register the fact that the lights were still on until it was too late. My dad was seated on the sofa, his face one of pure, unadulterated shock.

"Taylor?"

* * *

 **Nothing seems to be going Taylor's way, huh?**

 **Bakuda has fucked over her over mentally not once, but twice, a part of her very soul tried to kill someone behind her back, and top it all of, Danny just uncovered her secret identity. I did say that this Arc would be a good one. And hopefully, this chapter has shown you a bit of what is to come.** _ **Feelings**._ **This arc is going to be character development, followed by character development, followed by some kickass fighting. And all of this will be tinged with some good old fashioned suffering and misery, Taylor style. Because the name Taylor Hebert is pretty much synonymous with suffering at this point. Might as well stick with some Worm tradition.**

 **Thank you for reading, and please leave a review if you enjoyed the chapter.**


	17. Shoot to Kill 3-3

**Here is Shoot to Kill 3-3. Definitely not late. In fact, it is** ** _perfectly_** **on schedule. Me, off schedule? Perish the thought.**

 **So yeah. I kinda fucked up. An unbelievably hectic schedule, school being it's usual bitchy self, going on holiday and** ** _forgetting my charger_ were all part of the pile of shit that has been my life for the past 3 weeks** **. And on top of all that joyous shit, Writer's Block decided to pop up and deck me across the face with its reverse inspiration bullshit.**

 **But Deadpool 2 and Infinity War are coming out soon enough, so at least I've got** ** _something_** **to be happy about.**

 **There. Whining AN done.**

 **Thank you to Zaralann, my beta, for helping with the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach or Worm. They belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

"Taylor?" My eyes were wide with shock - his were even wider. "Taylor? Is that… Is that you?"

I cursed violently inside my head. This was something that I did not need right now, considering how unbelievably shitty my day had been. I needed to be calm and persuasive, something which I doubted I could be right now.

"Yeah," I said defeatedly, closing my eyes with a sigh. "It's me."

His face was a mixture of confusion, pain and a deep hurt.

"You're a Cape." It was a statement, not a question. "You called yourself… Regalia?"

I opened my eyes and met his without flinching.

"Yes."

He groaned and rubbed his forehead, slumping forward and sinking into his chair. My own face remained impassive.

"Alright." He muttered. "Alright. This is fine. This is…" He raised his face and met my eyes. He smiled at me. "We'll go to the Protectorate tomorrow, get you signed up with the Wards. You'll be safe that way."

I twitched, almost a flinch. This was exactly what I had feared would happen.

"I'm not going to join the Wards Dad."

He frowned, confused.

"What? Why not?"

"The Wards are practically a PR campaign. They don't make a difference, don't help anyone. They go on their rounds in the nice, safe part of the bay, go to their conferences in the nice, safe parts of the bay, and even live in the nice, safe parts of the bay. That's not what I want to do with my powers."

"It's where you should be." He replied.

"Dad..."

"I care more about the safety of my daughter than the safety of the city." He said, outstretching his arm and gently grasping my hand. "I'd rather you be doing nothing and be safe, rather than helping people and getting hurt, or even killed."

"You go out there and work at the docks, day after day, trying to rebuild the ferry," I replied calmly. "You know, we both know, that it's never going to happen." He flinched ever so slightly. "But you keep trying anyway. Because you want to help people, because you want to make a difference. I just want to do what you do, day in and day out." I put my own hand over his. "I just want to help people."

He rose from his chair. I took a step back, gently removing my hands from his.

"What I do..." He said slowly, "is different."

I shook my head. "Every day, there's a chance that one of Kaiser's dogs will come for you, a chance that a superpowered crime boss will find you inconvenient and decide to shut you up for good."

"I am an adult." He said tiredly, rubbing his face. "I make that choice for myself. I know the risks, the dangers, I consider them every day and make the decision to keep trying to do something good for this city." He chuckled bitterly and looked me in the eyes. "Doing what I do? It's different from going out there and trying to fight the monsters that inhabit our home."

I closed my eyes and restrained my sudden anger, which was most certainly in part coming from how exhausted I was.

"You can't deny me this," I said, voice raised ever so slightly. "This is my way to make a difference, to be someone important, to be something other than a bitter, depressed teenager."

He turned around and walked away, leaning against the dining room table with his back to me. He stood there for a few seconds, hands pressed against the cheap wood.

"There are better, safer, ways, to do that. Ways that don't involve your death."

I shook my head again, even though he couldn't see the movement.

"Not for me, dad. Out there..." I pointed my finger at the door. "... is where I belong. I can't go back to my old life. I was depressed, I was scared, I was hurt. And now? I'm stronger than I ever have been. Both mentally and physically."

He snorted.

"That's your powers talking. Teenage thrill-seeking."

I felt my Reiatsu shudder in outrage.

He sighed, tired. "Tomorrow, we're going to the Protectorate, and we will sign you up for the Wards. I refuse to risk your life over something like this."

My hands slowly tightened into fists. I forced my fingers to uncurl, one by one. Cool heads would prevail.

"No," I said curtly.

He turned his head slightly, allowing me to see his face in profile. He was frowning, but not angrily. If anything, he was desperate.

"I won't budge on this Taylor. I've already lost one member of my family to a stupid decision. I won't lose another."

I closed my eyes and pushed down my outrage. Dad was incredibly stubborn, and I wouldn't change his mind by yelling at him. I had to treat this calmly, talk this out peacefully with him.

"Dad. I know that you're scared, that you don't want to lose me. But some things are more important than safety, more important than my physical well being. This is for my own good. Please, trust me." I said, almost begging.

He turned to fully face me. His emotions were scrawled across his face, worry, hurt, and most of all, fear. For me. I knew then that he would never let me do this. He was too scared, too fearful, too terrified of losing me, of any harm coming to me, especially after what had happened with the locker, to really let me go in this way.

"Taylor." He said softly. "I can't. You matter too much to me."

"I know, Dad. But please..."

"That's enough, Taylor. You're joining the Wards, and that's final."

My anger, surged once more, flowing through my veins. It was frigid and cold, tainting the calm and rationality I had previously held. This was my life, my choice. He couldn't make this decision for me. I wouldn't allow him to.

"Well," I muttered sharply, almost derisively. "You're going to have to drag me there, kicking and screaming."

He sighed and collapsed back into the chair, resting his head against the back of it. It almost hurt me to see him like this, to see him so tired, full of such bone-deep exhaustion. But overshadowing that was my own anger and desperation, my desperate need to retain my freedom, my right to help others

"I just want to keep you safe." He exhaled.

It eased my anger to be reminded of that. What he was doing was completely unfair, but he had his reasons for doing what he was doing.

"I know, Dad," I murmured, eyes closed. "I know."

"Then why won't you just do what I say?" He asked.

My eyes opened and met his, full of sadness and a calm determination, my anger snuffed out.

"You aren't always right, Dad. Sometimes, you need to accept that you don't always know best. This is one of those times. I need to make this decision for myself."

"I'm your father, Taylor." It was a weak, last-ditch effort, we both knew it was. I could see it in his eyes.

"The only authority I follow," I muttered, "Is my own. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."

I turned and started to walk up the staircase, my robes dispersing into pink flower petals, leaving just my former hoodie and jeans behind.

"Taylor..." Begged Dad.

I kept walking.

* * *

In the early morning I found myself striding down the street, a quiet bitterness lacing my frame. I wasn't in the mood to be refined and elegant: I needed to strike something, tear it to pieces with my blades. I'd thought that having a good night's sleep would have helped me with my issues. It had not, if anything it had made it worse; I'd lain awake in my bed for hours, going over my conversation with my father, growing more and more unhappy each time. I had only gotten a few hours of sleep at best.

It was a cold, wet day, the sky was grey and cloud-sodden, a faint mist hanging about everything. It didn't help my mood any, I had walked out of the house early morning, forgoing any form of winter clothing. I was regretting the decision now. I was trembling like a leaf and my clothes were faintly damp, just enough to make me thoroughly uncomfortable.

My pocket started to vibrate faintly. I glared coldly at it, irritated that it had interrupted my moping, before remembering that it was just an article of clothing. I reached a hand into my pocket and grabbed the phone that Tattletale had given me. Although I had forgotten my jacket I hadn't done the same for my phone - the threat upon Dinah was a constant thought in the back of my head, and I wouldn't risk her safety over my own home problems with my father.

I flipped open the small black cellphone and held it to my ear.

"Tat… Lisa?" I asked, conscious of the fact that the street was a public location, even if no one was out and about at this time.

"Coil's men have got Dinah." She murmured, quiet and quick. "There's six of them, crawling over the rooftops right now."

"Damn," I swore quietly.

Tattletale snorted in amusement. "Yeah. I won't be able to do shit by myself, but I could call the Protectorate."

I pondered the suggestion for a few seconds.

"No." I decided. "I'd like to keep this quick and clean. I can deal with a smattering of Mercenaries without outside assistance." A thought came to my mind. "Is Coil there?"

Tattletale was silent for a few seconds, assumedly putting her power to work.

"No, he isn't."

Unfortunate, but not unexpected.

"Thank you, Lisa." I said, grateful.

"Just doing my job, Cap'n." My eyebrow twitched. I could practically see her inane grin.

The phone snapped shut with a rather satisfying thump. I returned my phone to my pocket and looked around. The mist had thickened even further while I had been talking to Tattletale, it was a challenge to see over five metres.

Ideally, I would have been able to find somewhere secluded and hidden from prying eyes to change into my costume. But I didn't really have time to spare, especially considering that I had told Tattletale to hold off on calling the Protectorate. My Haori and Shikkahuso came into existence with a slight puff of pink petals, gently settling over my damp form with the soft sound of rustling cloth.

I disappeared with a quickly applied Shunpo. I could have used the Sentan Hakuja to arrive at Dinah's house almost instantaneously, but this way would keep her and her family safer. Using Shunpo would enable me to use stealth tactics to take out the mercenaries one by one instead of fighting them in one large battle, which would have the risk of catching Dinah in the crossfire. Dinah's house wasn't too far away, and If I really pushed myself, I could get to her in under a minute.

"I'm coming Dinah." I murmured, an icy rage hidden behind the words.

Coil and his pets would pay for their sins.

 _Dearly._

* * *

I walked quietly down the middle of the street, sandalled feet padding lightly against the cement. Senbonzakura was held out at my side, blade lined with small droplets of water, drawn from the mist around us.

The mist would work both with and against me in this situation. I didn't possess any form of heightened sensory output, and as a result, my eyesight was just as restricted as the eyesight of the mercenaries. It could very well mean the death of me - the bullets of the Mercenaries would be entirely invisible to me. I didn't have that luxury, my attacks were almost all brightly coloured and eye-catching.

On the other hand, If I managed to use the mist to my advantage, take down the Mercenaries one by one, and quietly at that, then this would be a walk in the park. My first issue was that I didn't really know were the Mercenaries where. And I didn't particularly want to go stumbling through the mist until I bumped into one.

I had a solution for that, thankfully.

Extending my hand to the side, I gathered my Reiryoku into a ball that I held within my palm. It shimmered a bright red colour, bubbling and twitching slightly instead of the even red ord that was ideal. In my defense, the Shakkaho was a Hado of Benihime, a sword that I wasn't currently using. This was intentional; the more unstable the Shakkaho, the bigger the bang, although blast radius was exchanged for accuracy and range.

Once the red orb held a sufficient amount of Reiatsu within it I lobbed it to a few metres to my left, my eyes flicking over to where the rooftops and examining them closely.

A quiet popping sound came from the rooftops, accompanied by the louder sound of shattering cement a second later, the bullets striking and shattering the tarmac road. I appeared on the rooftop where the gunshots had come from, two feet behind the gunman.

I surged forward before he could realize I was there, binding his arms with a sai while looping Senbonzakura's blunt side around his throat and pulling tight, one of my hands covering his mouth. The Mercenary writhed in place, striking at my torso and arms with his elbows. My superior strength allowed me to ignore the blows, I simply tensed my muscles and tightened my grip.

Within thirty seconds he had stopped struggling, instead weakly pawing at my arms. I waited until his arms dropped to his side limply, then let him drop soundlessly to the floor.

I heard a booted foot hit cement behind me, turned to see the remaining four mercenaries standing about two meters from me, Dinah slung over one of their shoulders, unconscious. Their eyes widened behind their balaclavas as they saw me and their fallen comrade. I nodded to them.

"Gentlemen."

They started to raise their guns, movements jerky and full of panic. I was standing before them before the second was up, sword held casually. I hadn't needed to use Shunpo, just pure speed over a short distance. I cut the gun of the first Mercenary in half with a casual spin of my wrist, flipped Senbonzakura in my hand and slammed the hilt into his stomach twice. He choked and slumped forwards. I grabbed him by the shoulder and thrust his limp body at one of his friends, the one carrying Dinah. Said Mercenary stumbled backwards and fell, balance off-put.

I turned, saw the barrel of a silenced pistol pointed at my face. I bent backwards, arching my spine. Senbonzakura glimmered as I swung it, a blurred arc of steel and death. The Mercenaries hand was severed in a spurt of blood and a cry of pain. I spun around him to approach the final Mercenary, who was rapidly stepping backwards, his gun now with a straight line of fire at me.

I lunged forwards and downwards, body extended, buying myself about half a second before he could shoot me.

It was enough.

Senbonzakura flashed once more, a deadly crescent that shed blood as it moved through the air. It bisected his gun, leaving him holding just the handle, trigger and stock of the formerly whole gun.

I pulled Senbonzakura back behind my head and pistoned it forward, skewering him through his lower stomach. I rose in one smooth movement, drawing my blade from his flesh and flicking the blood from it gracefully. The black-clad Mercenary doubled over, clutching at his stomach.

He would survive.

She walked over to where Dinah was, rapping the Mercenary who had been holding her over the head as he tried to get up. He collapsed without a sound. I leaned down and extracted Dinah from his grasp, picking the girl up as gently as possible and holding her in a bridal carry.

The barking roar of a gun resounded behind me, prompting a wide-eyed spin. I just managed to catch a Mercenary - the final one - falling to the ground, screaming and clutching at his collarbone. Tattletale stood behind him, a smoking pistol hanging in her grip.

She smirked. "You missed one."

I hummed noncommittally. "One day, you may even be worth the trouble I went to break you out."

"How rude," she pouted.

I glanced at the Mercenary, noticed the automatic machine gun he held in

his hands. All mocking jokes aside, Tattletale had just saved my life.

"Thank you, Lisa," I said, light amounts of earnestness sprinkled into my tone.

She didn't reply. I raised an eyebrow. Lisa was focusing on the fallen bodies of the Mercenaries, an out of place frown decorating her brows.

"Lisa?" I asked. She shook her head, prompting me to fall silent. Lisa started to chew on her lip.

"Why would he send so few?" She murmured.

I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

She kneaded her temples with her fingers.

"Coil isn't stupid, far from it. And he's paranoid too. He would have assumed that you would have employed some sort of protection for Dinah. Six Mercenaries obviously aren't enough to take you down, so why would he send them if he knew that they wouldn't be able to kidnap Dinah?"

"He's assumedly low on men, considering what I did to him and his forces. Maybe he just decided to take a gamble?" I replied.

Tattletale shook her head vigorously.

"No. Coil isn't a gambler, nor is he a risk-taker." She turned to look at me, green eyes meeting brown. "My guess? This was a distraction, like what he had me and The Undersiders do with the bank."

"Why would he want to distract me?" I asked.

I could feel panic rising within me. Something wasn't right. No, something was very, very wrong. I could feel it in my bones.

"Taylor?" She asked warily, almost as if she was coaxing a rabid dog. "Do you have a family?"

My frown gained a quizzical tilt to it. "Why does that…" My eyes widened in horror. "Dad," I whispered.

No. _No. **No.**_

I barely even noticed my Reiatsu bursting past its restraints, colouring the world around me with a grainy tilt and almost forcing Tattletale to her knees. The blonde girl struggled against the overwhelming pressure, one hand pressed against the ground, keeping her from collapsing.

"Taylor!" She screamed, panicked.

I practically dropped Dinah to the ground, then vanished into the swiftest Shunpo I had ever done.

 _Dad._

* * *

I burst through the door to my house, still costumed, at this point uncaring if anyone saw me.

My gaze flickered over the room, desperately searching for my father, the one last piece of my family I had left. My eyes had searched the living room three times before I saw the letter. It was pitch black, and set upon the dining room table. I darted over to it and tore it open, my eyes scanning the words written there so fast it nearly made my eyes hurt.

I dropped the letter once I had read it. It hit the ground hard, bouncing once.

 _ **"Coil!"**_

* * *

Lisa arrived at my house seven minutes later, panting and gasping for breath. I was seated in the one armchair we had, one leg crossed over the other, eyes down, forehead pressed against my palm.

"Taylor?"

I handed her the letter silently, the black card dented from when I had dropped it to the ground. Lisa took it from my hands gently and opened it, her eyes skimming over the text. I knew exactly what she was reading. I had gone over the letter dozens of times since I had got here, reading the words over and over again.

"Regalia," I whispered. "You father has been relocated to a location of my choosing. Your services and obedience would ensure his safety and well-being. Any attempts at disobedience will result in his condition worsening. Further insubordination will result in his eventual death. Good day."

She set the letter on the table, then seated herself on top of it. She was looking at me concernedly, a worried expression adorned upon her face.

"Taylor?" She questioned softly. "What are you going to do?"

I started to tap the seat of the armchair with my free hand, letting each finger collide with the soft material one by one, index, middle, ring and pinky.

"He underestimates me." I intoned calmly, removing my forehead from my palm and sitting straight in my chair. I met Lisa's eyes. "He doesn't know of my Reiraku technique. I'm going to hunt him down, and end this farce."

"And… What are you going to do to him?" She asked hesitantly.

I summoned Senbonzakura to my hand and examined the blade. It shone faintly in the light, the steel glinting softly.

"We'll see."

* * *

 **In case you couldn't tell, shit's about to hit the fan.**

 **I wasn't going to use Coil for this arc... but after the rather... small reaction to the last chapter, I decided to change things up a bit, hopefully make everything a little bit more exciting for my readers. After all, nothing brightens the day of a Wom fan than seeing Coil get torn to tiny little pieces.**

 **Now if you don't mind, I've got to go and grind out a chapter for my other fic. Which has been left to rot even longer than this one has/had been.**

 **Thank you for reading, and please leave a review, even if it's something small. You'd be surprised how much difference one piddly little review can make in the mind of a procrastinating author.**


	18. Shoot to Kill 3-4

**You all know the drill by now.**

 **Sorry that the chapter's late, insert bad excuse here, distract the audience with a little fact there, yadda yadda yadda. I got bored halfway through writing this message, and I'm pretty sure you all got bored just thinking about it. At this point, I've given up to sticking to any form of regular update schedule. So from now on, unless a chapter is very,** ** _very_ late, (Let's say, over three months) I won't apologize for it. Why? Cause everyone's bored of the same old shit by now. **

**On another note, It's climax time, for both this arc (kinda) and Taylor. This entire chapter will play a _humongous_ part in Taylor's future character growth, and will forever shape her as a person. How so? You'll know by the end (No, I'm not killing off Danny. That would be boring, cliche, and utterly stupid). I personally am very happy with how this chapter turned out, it feels like it's got just the right blend of awesome kickassery and interesting character growth. If I've actually managed to hit that fine line then please tell me in a review, because that's exactly the kind of fic I want With Grace and Elegance to be. And If I've pulled it off - as I think/hope I have - then I really, really want to know.**

 **Thanks to Zaralann for being an awesome Beta, as per usual.**

 **I do not own Bleach or Worm. They belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

It was a dark day.

The sky was blackened with thick rain clouds that seethed ominously, twisting and wriggling in place. They brought with them an inescapable gloom, one of inexplicable dread and threat. The air coiled and shirked around me, skittering over my robes and hair in a manner that was light, yet not gentle.

In a way, it felt like the weather reflected my own emotions - dark, turbulent, swirling in a vicious worm pool that seemed to grow tighter and tighter every time I thought of Coil holding my father prisoner.

"Someone's feeling poetic," Muttered a costumed Tattletale, squatting on her haunches on the lip of the rooftop next to me.

I ignored the weak attempt to lighten the mood. She was holding a pair of cheap binoculars to her eyes and was using them to survey the mostly empty buildings around us.

"How many?" I asked calmly, the tone of my voice concealing the bubbling emotions that squirmed in my gut. All that showed my feelings was the slight furrowing of my brow that I just couldn't get rid of.

Tattletale sighed and lowered the binoculars.

"Coil's got a handful of his brutes stationed in that building over there." She pointed at the tallest building in the area, dotted with broken windows and gaping holes in its walls. "20 men on the top floor, five with sniper rifles facing the base. You'll have to take them out quick, otherwise they'll trigger some sort of alarm."

"Which would mean that…"

"Simply put, they'd lock up the base entirely. Make getting in a bitch and a half, if we even could."

I hummed tonelessly, then summoned Senbonzakura to my hand.

"I don't suppose you've got any advice?" I asked.

She shrugged.

"Not really. Just be quick about it. Tell me when you're done kicking ass with this..." She withdrew her phone from a pocket at her back and waved it about. "...so make sure that you have it ready. We'll have to move quickly if one of Coil's dogs manages to alert the base." I withdrew my own phone and considered if for a second, then decided to turn it to speaker mode and tuck it into the sash that crossed the waist of my Shikkahuso. "Welp," said Tattletale, the odd word accompanied by another shrug. "I've done all I can. Try not to get yourself killed." I nodded and took a step forward, preparing to Shunpo. "Taylor?" I glanced at Tattletale. "Good luck."

She said, face solemn.

"I won't be needing luck," I replied coldly, vanishing as soon as the words left my throat.

I was a veritable blur of movement, my form flickering in one space, then vanishing in an instant, only to appear a dozen metres along the next second. The building loomed up before me, exposed brickwork smoothed by the effects of time. One more Shunpo upwards and I was directly in front of a shattered window, one of Coil's mercenaries staring at me wide-eyed from behind it. I had coordinated my jumps to land outside this specific window, it would make my job far easier.

Stepping on thin air, I surged forwards, slight scowl darkening my brows and sword held in front of my body, point on a straight line with the man's chest.

The mercenary stumbled backwards, raising his automatic rifle as fast as his body was able. The tip of my blade leapt forwards, shearing through the air so fast it was nought but a blur. Senbonzakura pierced the very centre of his gun, skewering the black weapon all the way through and bursting out the back of it. I stopped my weapon a sparse few centimetres before it touched the man's throat with an intense exertion of effort that went entirely unnoticed by him or the world.

The man went for the knife held at his belt. I took two more smooth steps forwards and grabbed his wrist in a deceivingly powerful grip, then heaved him bodily down the hallway we were standing in. He flipped through the air for a few seconds before his stomach met the sheathe of Senbonzakura. He collided with it as a car might collide with a lamppost, his body bending around the shaft of wood.

I turned my head and _glared_ down the hallway, ignoring the gagging man at my feet. Over a dozen of Coil's goons were standing there with weapons raised. Some of them flinched slightly as I did so, causing a seconds delay in their pulling of the trigger, as well as some serious inaccuracy. It was all I needed, I used Shunpo to blur through the gaps in the wall of lead bullets, one bullet coming close enough to tear a hole through the cloth in my shoulder.

Appearing before the foremost soldier, I disarmed him with a circular parry, looping my blade around his gun with a swift flick of my wrist, throwing the black weapon to the ground. The man, just like his comrade, went for his knife. I kicked him savagely, striking the centre of his chest with incredible force. He rocketed backwards, colliding with two of his fellow mercenaries and sending them sliding across the hallway in a tangle of broken limbs.

I turned and slammed the hilt of Senbonzakura into the head of the soldier to my right, sending him crashing against the wall. The soldier to my left lunged at my stomach with his steel baton. I batted the weapon aside with my free hand - it went flying across the hallway - and grabbed him by the wrist, cracking the bone with my grip. I lifted him up into the air with just one arm then savagely slammed him into the ground, as a child might do with an ugly ragdoll.

A violent crack resounded, accompanied by the mercs scream. His spine, maybe.

I took a singular, large step forward, just enough to bring me within a metre of the next mercenary on my list. Putting two hands on the hilt of Senbonzakura, I dragged the sheathed blade upwards through the air, straight into his stomach. I hit the man so hard that he actually flew upwards, colliding once with the ceiling and falling back to the ground. He vomited, green fluid spewing everywhere.

I stepped past the man and to the next, then slammed my sheathed blade into his ribcage. And the next, and the next. I was an unstoppable blur of wrath and desperation, all grace swept clean from my fighting form by bloody vengeance. I was wounding these men horrifically, and I didn't care. They would live through it, and they worked for _Coil._ I was pure rage incarnate, brutal and uncaring, a shell of the poised warrior I had been nought but 2 hours ago. And I didn't care. As long as I got my father back, everything would return to normal. We could reforge our bond, I could bury this wrathful monster deep within me, and everything would go back to the way it should be.

 _Fool._

I ignored the tiny thought, instead focusing on burying my elbow deep within the final Mercenaries gut. The black-clad soldier collapsed to the ground, choking for air.

I looked around at the havoc that I had wrecked. The mercenaries were splayed all over the floor, many of their limbs twisted and mangled at unnatural angles, elbows bent backwards, a calf jutting to the side instead of downwards. It was a horrific scene, one that I had - pushed by rage and hatred - been the cause of.

Inhaling and exhaling deeply, I tried to calm myself. If I gave into my rage again, I didn't doubt that I would start killing. Once I did that, intoxicated by rage or not, there was no going back. And I _refused_ to be a murderer, a killer. If I slaughtered all those who stood in front of me, then how was I any better than those that I fought?

I grabbed my phone and flipped it open, selecting one of the only two contacts I possessed. Tattletale picked up after the first ring.

"Ya done?"

"What do you think?"

She chuckled. "Fair enough." We're sticking to the original plan, then?"

The original plan had been for Tattletale to stick around outside, and contact me if Coil tried to escape the base. It was a plan full of holes, it assumed that Tattletale's power would be able to detect his escape and that I'd be able to get out of the base quick enough to get at him, but it was the best she had been able to come up with on the way.

I hadn't been much help in that matter, as furious and panicked as I had been. Still was, really, considering the red-hot anger that churned in my veins.

I was about to confirm that we were, indeed, going to use the original plan, when something caught my eye. Considering it for a second, I grabbed it and vanished with a hiss of air, appearing by Tattletales side after about 20 seconds of travel.

She looked at the object I held in my hands with a sceptical eyebrow raised.

"You want me to use _that?"_

What I held in my hands was one of the sniper rifles that Coil's mercenaries had been using to watch the base. Sleek, black and extraordinarily long, the tinkertech weapon was oddly beautiful, a far cry from the ugly, multi-jointed rifles that I was used to seeing on television.

I tossed the weapon to her. She caught it awkwardly, cradling it in her arms like an oddly shaped child.

"It's a contingency," I replied. "On the off chance that I won't be able to catch Coil if he tries to make his escape, you use this to slow him down."

She considered it with a cocked head, her eyes with that glazed over look that I knew meant that she was using her powers.

"This is… one scary ass weapon." She muttered.

"Will you be able to use it?" I questioned, impatience leaking into my tone. I wanted, _needed,_ to get at Coil.

She glanced up at me in mild surprise, but didn't comment on my uncharacteristically short temper.

"Yeah. I'll manage." She replied, returning her attention to the gun.

"Good."

I strode over to the edge of the rooftop and coldly examined the entrance to Coil's base, a small doorway tucked away underneath the ruins of a building.

My hands tightened into fists.

* * *

 **(Play Bleach OST - Incantation)**

It was almost pathetically easy to get into Coil's base.

The door, while locked, had been cleft in two with a quick application of Benihime's Tsupanne technique.

It was an odd thing, for a man as paranoid as Coil to have such a flimsy doorway. The only potential reason behind this odd thing that I could think of was if this base was fairly new, and if he hadn't yet had the time to set up suitable security.

Ah well. It was of no matter know. I was in, and nothing, _nothing,_ would stop me from getting at Coil.

The now broken doorway led into a steel staircase that led downwards, illuminated by white fluorescent lights that hung overhead. I strode down them quickly, the unsheathed form of Benihime held tightly in my white-knuckled grip.

There was another doorway at the end of the stairwell, this one far larger and bulkier than the previous one. I noted the camera that sat snugly in the corner. Coil knew that I was coming then.

Good.

I raised my hand to the doorway and held it outwards in a claw-like fashion. Crackling red energy started to emanate from the space before my palm, coiling into a large red ball, composed entirely of reiryoku. The Shakkaho shuddered violently, then shot forwards, detonating against the heavy doors and blowing them outwards in a colossal flourish of dust and sound.

" _Chikasumi No Tate_ ," I whispered harshly.

The garishly crimson shield formed out of the thin air before me, coming into existence just barely in time to stop the first bullet from piercing my flesh.

The pieces of lead came forth in a never-ending onslaught, the shards of death screaming through the air, aiming to pierce my flesh. They didn't even come close, their progress halted by the burning shield of Benihime. The shield itself rippled slightly when struck by the bullets, there were so many of the things that the shield was constantly undulating, although the shield never budged an inch.

I prowled forwards slowly, the bullets ricocheting harmlessly off the shield and rocketing through the air in the opposite direction.

As I passed through the smoke cloud, I saw where I was. It was a large room, gaping and cavernous. I was currently walking over a long, wide platform suspended a fair few metres upon the grounds, upon which the rest of the mercenaries were facing me. Some were crouching, some were standing, but they all held guns, and they were all firing upon me.

I must have been quite a sight to the mercenaries, striding forwards through the cloud of smoke, a rippling blood-red shield held in front of me, gold-hilted sword held by my sword, the blade bathed in an unholy red miasma.

I stopped walking, they stopped firing, either out of ammunition or out of hope.

My eyes narrowed venomously, and I let the full force of my reiatsu impact the men, sending those who were standing to their knees, staring pale-faced at me, eyes wide with intrinsic fear.

"Get out of my way," I demanded, unimaginable fury lining the word.

The world held its breath for a single, bated second, the only sound the settling of the dust cloud behind me and the quiet _clink_ of bullets falling to the floor.

The silence was abruptly shattered by one of the Mercenaries. He screamed defiantly, raised his gun and opened fire, somehow resisting the pressure of my reiatsu enough to raise his gun and pull the trigger.

The little pieces of metal bounced off my shield harmlessly, ineffective and useless. The other Mercenaries looked at their fellow soldier in horror.

I snorted.

"Idiot."

The air shuddered as I burst into motion, breaking through my shield with a single leap. I didn't bother to use Shunpo, Instead I had reinforced my legs with my Reiryoku, enhancing their power phenomenally for a single second.

In an instant I was upon the mercenaries, coming from above, Benihime raised above my head and bathing the world in bloody scarlet. I landed just before them with a deceptive softness, my feet lightly coming to rest upon the steel that lay beneath us. The reiryoku surrounding the blade of Benihime surged and thickened.

It was the calm before the storm.

I slammed the blade of Benihime down on the bridge with fury-induced intensity. The pure Reiryoku that had been layering the blade burst outwards in a nameless attack, not so much Reiryoku crystallized and formed into an attack so much as it was an outburst of raw power and anger.

The bubbling red energy exploded furiously, throwing the mercenaries in front of me backwards and upwards around me. They pinwheeled through the air, sent careening of the bridge by my attack. A small, barely there part of me hoped that I hadn't just killed them.

We weren't too high off the ground. They would survive.

I stormed forwards, Benihime's blade held in front of my face.

What happened next was a blur for me, an undecipherable storm of violence, broken bones, and pure, unquenchable _wrath._ I fought as more of a demon than a warrior, my beautiful grace discarded for violent brutality.

It was strange. This anger was something I had never truly felt before, something I had never experienced in my life. Even when I was at my lowest, all I had felt was the need to hide, to run away as fast as I could. I had never been a fighter.

But now? Any urge to run was buried under a desire to _hurt,_ an anger that was as terrifying as it was awe-inspiring.

And all of it was directed at one man. Not these mercenaries, they were simply in the way. No, the man I hated, the man that I _loathed,_ was Coil.

In a way, this anger of mine seemed to be fueled by desperation. Dad was my only friend, and more importantly than that, my only loved one. When Coil had targeted him, he had targeted my heart, targeted what mattered to me the most. And the thought of a man as filthy as Coil even _dreaming_ of laying his hands on my father, of trying to corrupt me through my one weak link, made me sick to the stomach.

It was anger fueled by desperation, by panic, or perhaps, more accurately, by terror. By an all-consuming, sun-eclipsing terror that Coil would take from me the one thing that I had left in this godforsaken world, that he would corrupt me and my family to further his own schemes.

And from that fear was born a disgust, a _hatred_ of Coil, that such a man would _dare_ lay his fingers on the one man that had always, always loved me.

When I came out of my berserker-like rage, I was once more surrounded by broken bodies. I had been lucky, incredibly so, that I had subconsciously restrained myself from killing these men.

There was another doorway at the end of the walkway. Through the use of the Reiraku technique, I saw that Coil was indeed through the doorway, his black-tainted spirit ribbon still wriggling and writhing slightly in a way that the others did not.

I marched forwards, robes swishing lightly in my wake. The doors opened without my touch as soon as I reached them, revealing yet another staircase.

 **(End Bleach OST - Incantation)**

I walked up the stairs slowly, concentrating on keeping my breathing calm and steady. Everything, _everything,_ relied on these next few minutes. If I failed here, then it was the end. No going back.

The door's at the stop of the stairwell opened before I reached them as well, sliding open slowly to reveal whitewashed floors and sterile lighting.

Coil was seated behind a long black desk, nought but a slim black tablet occupying the wide space that he was resting his elbows on. The rooms, ceiling and floor contrasted the desk, being a blank, featureless white. The wall at Coil's back was occupied by monitors, some large, some small, some showing the main streets of the bay, others showing the insides of the base.

"Good Morning, Regalia." He greeted calmly. He was leaning forwards over the table, his hands clasped loosely in front of him. His voice was as dead as ever, a thin veneer of civility cloaking the empty monster that lay within.

"I hadn't been expecting a visit so quickly," He continued, "but I suppose I underestimated your… widespread range of abilities."

"My father. Where is he?" I ground out, knowing that my father would most likely die if I attempted to attack Coil.

"Ah. Yes. Your father." He paused for a second, then turned his right palm outwards, revealing a small circle of metal, studded with a white button.

I swallowed, hoping to whatever gods that were out there that that wasn't what I thought it was.

"This is a… kill switch, of a sort," He said flatly.

 _No._

"It's a simple device. If I press this button, your father dies."

 _No. No no no no no no._

"I don't expect any further resistance from you," He went on, either not realizing my current emotional state, or simply not caring. "Do something like this again, and there will be consequences. Understand..."

My hands shook.

"... Pet?"

I rocketed forwards, grabbing Coil by the throat with one hand and cutting the tendon of his right hand with Benihime. I slammed him against the wall and held my blade against his throat, pinning him against the now cracked monitors with it. His right arm dropped limply to his side, the detonator falling from his grasp and clattering against the floor.

I was panting frantically, my hands shuddering slightly. The anger that I had felt before was nowhere to be found, replaced with a bone-deep fear for my father's life. It was clutching at my mind, sending my thoughts in an endless, panicked loop, like a dog chasing its own tail.

I could feel his eyes narrow behind his featureless mask, feel the irritation that he now felt. And it scared me, to know that this man, this _monstrosity,_ was feeling such an emotion towards me.

It made me feel like the girl trapped in the locker.

"You are very, _very_ lucky that you are so valuable to me, Regalia." He raised his left hand and turned it to face me, and my eyes widened in panic as I saw the second kill switch that he held in his other palm. "You are fast. Incredibly so. But you aren't fast enough to reach this kill switch in time. Not before I press it, anyways." His voice was still calm, still holding as much emotion as some form of robot might. My hands were shaking so much that the blade of Benihime was tremouring, wavers of fear running up and down the blade. "The situation we are currently in, Regalia, is what one would call an impasse. You cannot risk going for the kill switch, for I would kill your father before you could. I can't trigger the kill switch, seeing as you would kill me afterwards. Completely even, equal. Unless one of us concedes to the other." He cocked his head to the side, and I felt more than saw the smirk that adorned his lips. "That would be the case, if it weren't for one small thing."

"And what would that be?" I managed to choke out, terror very nearly seizing up my throat.

"You won't kill me." He replied simply. "You are an incredibly powerful Hero, one with remarkable skills and an unbelievably rapid growth rate," He continued. "You are many things, Regalia. But one thing you are not is a killer." I flinched slightly. I felt like I was laid bare, almost naked, my raw, unfiltered emotions flooding through my body, dulling my mind and blunting my blade. "And that is why you will never..."

* * *

In a separate timeline, the getaway car that Coil had been riding in detonated suddenly, burning up in a colossal ball of heat and flame. Him, his guards, and the driver were all killed instantly.

Tattletale stared at the tinkertech rifle she held in her hands in shock, horror, and mild bemusement.

"... _shit_."

* * *

Coil paused for a second in the middle of his speech. He clicked his tongue irritably.

"You won't kill me." He said with a cool, brutal honesty. "You don't have what's necessary to be a murderer. After all… You're just a girl."

 _Just a girl._

Why did that sentence resound with me so much? Why did it seem that, through all of his lies and deceptions, that Coil has finally spoken a single line of fatal truth?

Maybe because he was right.

Looking back on the actions it had taken me to reach this point, I realised that he had been right. The press conference - a foolish need to be one of those that I had looked up to as a child. My refusal to kill Bakuda, even after she had murdered over a hundred innocents - clinging to childish ideals of a kind, heroic world.

And Coil, this, right here, right now. My fury at his mercenaries, my panic as I stormed his room. All of this had been blind panic, me lashing out at everything that moved in my frantic need to reclaim my father. I had been nothing but a girl, a little child, terrified of the world around her, and what it would do to the last remnants of a family she had left, heedless to the fact that every wild movement she took was simply hindering her.

I had been the girl trapped in the locker, the girl bullied and oppressed by those around her - the girl I had sworn to leave behind.

All of the stress, the pressure, the weight I had felt pushing down on my shoulders left me in one quick, fleeting moment, leaving me light and quick-footed. Free to resume the graceful dance that I had been starting beforehand. Before Coil.

Well then.

"Now then, Regalia," he droned on, as irritatingly calm as ever. "I expect you to-"

I pressed Benihime against Coil's throat and ran it downwards in one swift movement, neatly severing his trachea and cartroid artery. His blood didn't spray, nor did it gush - it simply spluttered, staining the blade of Benihime with crimson blood. A singular drop landed on my cheek, tracking downwards slowly, tracing the smooth skin of my cheek, before dripping of my jaw into my scarf.

The villain slumped to the floor soundlessly, blood leaking from his throat to stain the front of his suit a dark, ominous crimson. His head lolled forwards, chin pressed against his collarbone. He hadn't even managed to get a single word out before he died.

I barely felt anything at my first kill. A slight regret that I hadn't done so earlier, before he had had the chance to target dad, and a slight satisfaction that his death had been so quiet and pathetic. People usually felt horrified when they killed someone, didn't they? Disgusted with themselves for taking the life of another human being, no matter how cruel or evil that human may have been

Did it make me a monster, that I felt nothing as I killed someone?

I chide myself for the thought. That was exactly the kind of thinking that had very nearly led to my downfall.

Slipping a hand into my sash and pulling out my phone, I contacted Tattletale, idly dispersing the bloodstained blade of Benihime as I did so.

"Coil?" She questioned as soon as she picked up.

"Very dead," I replied, my lips quirking upwards slightly.

She huffed good-naturedly, then went quiet for a few seconds.

"So, uh… how do you feel?"

"About murdering Coil?"

"Well… Yeah, that."

"Never felt better."

"...huh."

I snorted at her reply, then started to walk out of the doorway and down the staircase.

"Don't bother coming to join me," I said, now out the second doorway and standing on the walkway. "I doubt I'll be more than 10 minutes."

"Righto. Would ya mind hurrying up a bit though? I think it's about to rain, and I don't particularly feel like freezing my metaphorical balls off." She snarked.

"I'll try my best," I replied drolly, snapping the phone shut and using Shunpo to appear on the bottom floor of the base.

A quick usage or Reiraku revealed the position of dad to me - usually, the technique wouldn't have worked on a normal human, but I knew him so well that I could distinguish the minuscule details to his Soul that made him unique.

Down a hallway, left, right, left and left again. All lit by white fluorescent lighting and made of grey steel. Coil had been a truly boring individual. Terrifying, certainly, but well and truly boring.

My spiritual search eventually brought me to yet another pair of large steel doors. I considered blowing them open, then decided against it, the risk of harming my father was far too high for such an endeavour to be feasible. After a few seconds of searching, I found a keypad next to the door, complete with a microphone and video screen. I pressed the intercom button and leaned in close to the microphone.

"Five seconds, gentlemen." I threatened in a polite fashion, reinforcing my words with the slightest amount of reiatsu. "That's all the time I'm giving you to open this door."

Sure enough, the door slid open in nought but 2 seconds. I supposed that they had heard the sounds of fighting upstairs, and reckoned that I wasn't someone they wanted to cross.

Rather clever of them.

Three black armoured individuals hurried out of the room, rushing away with barely a backwards glance.

I crossed the threshold of the room and laid eyes upon my father. He was unconscious, lying down in a small steel cot. Although his clothes were very ruffled, and an ugly yellow bruise was apparent on his forehead, he seemed to be perfectly fine.

I walked over to my father and lifted him over my shoulder in a Fireman's carry. We vanished with a quiet hiss of air.

I contemplated the events of the past few days as I blurred through the base.

I had slowly been surely crumbling under pressure, an incessant need to be the best I possibly could for everyone else. The Bakuda and Coil had come along and only worsened that problem, adding piece after piece to the mess that had been my emotional and mental state before I had killed Coil. And it had all culminated in that one moment - the decision to stop fighting with myself, stop clinging to the dreams of a child and accept the world for what it was. Brutal, merciless and entirely capable of murder.

The changes that had come from this journey weren't particularly apparent as of right now. But I could feel the difference deep within me, that unforgettable presence of a killer's instinct. Or perhaps the lack of it, for before, when I had thought of killing and death all I had felt was fear and disgust, now I felt absolutely nothing.

And for the life of me, I couldn't tell if the change was a good or bad one.

Although, there was one definite good side to all the shit of the past few days; namely, the sword that had formed in my mind the second after I had killed Coil. An odd blade, simultaneously cold and warm, caring and brutal, both the gentle lover's caress and the bite of cruel steel.

It felt strangely fitting, to know that I would soon hold such a weapon in my hands.

The lance of the serpent: Shinso, the god slayer.

* * *

 **A whole bunch of shit happened in this chapter.**

 **Taylor learnt the joys of inheriting her father's temper, obliterated some Mercenaries, bantered with Tattletale, rescued her father, and most importantly of all: killed Coil.**

 **I've been building up to this chapter for a very long time now, with both the pressure Taylor has been put under and the number of times her unwillingness to kill has made her life harder. This first Kill marks the beginning of Taylor's real development, the start on the path for her to become what I want her to become (Here's a hint - Kiritsugu). Shit's only just beginning to hit the fan, my lovely readers. And as we all know, there's nothing Taylor does quite as well as escalate.**

 **That said, there is a time and place for everything. Some readers have been (rightfully) complaining about the poor pacing in recent chapters. That was, unfortunately, necessary. To put Taylor under the stress and pressure needed for her development during this chapter. I sacrificed plot and pacing for character progression, so to speak. But don't you worry critical readers, for the next chapter is going to be one big, long breather - Nothing but dialogue, relaxation and humour. And introducing Gin as a character (which should be oodles of fun).**

 **But the arc is not, in fact, finished just yet. There will be another part of Shoot to Kill, the second half, so to speak. This will be where we explore what this new and arguably improved Taylor is willing to do, just how twisted her morals are and her thoughts on justice and punishment. I'll also be delivering on the ever classic Lung fight, so there's yet another thing to get all you Worm fans riled up for the next few chapters.**

 **And that's all I have to say.**

 **Thank you for reading, and please don't forget to review. Who knows, it might even speed up my writing schedule (This is the last time I'll mention it, I swear.)**


	19. Shoot to Kill 3-5

**This chapter is a wee bit different from my normal fare.**

 **Because of recent pacing issues, the point of this chapter was to be a breather, to slowly wrap up loose plot points and ease everyone back into the usual swing of things. From there it just kinda evolved into what you see below, which is sure as hell different from the darker, grittier stuff we've been dealing with for the majority of this arc.**

 **Still happy with how it turned out though.**

 **Many thanks to my beta, Zaralann.**

 **I do not own Bleach or Worm. They belong to Tite Kubo and Wilbow respectively.**

* * *

"Boo."

I sighed.

"A second Benihime? Splendid." I said, light hints of sarcasm lacing my voice.

Shinsō snickered from behind me, the sound irritatingly grating. I turned and narrowed my eyes at my new blade. He was wearing white, flowing robes that matched his silver hair, his eyes closed to inhuman slits. A razor-sharp smile lay upon his lips, giving of a distinctly snake-like vibe.

"Hullo there, dearest Master." He tittered. I closed my eyes. He truly was a second Benihime. The grown man pouted like a child. "That's rather rude of ya."

I looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"What is?"

"Comparing me to one of your _other_ swords like that." He whined.

I nodded slowly, accepting his point.

"Fair enough."

He cocked his head to the side in an expression of mild surprise.

"What, really?"

"Yes," I conceded. He smiled. "You're obviously far worse."

"Oi!"

I smirked slightly, the expression easily visible to him, thanks to my lack of a scarf. After all, there wasn't much point in wearing something to conceal my identity when I was within my very own Soul.

"You don't really mean that, right?" He begged, stepping forward and shaking me by the shoulders. My smirk only widened. I spun and walked past him, gliding gently over the grass towards my destination. "Right!?"

I sighed amusedly but didn't reply, content to leave him wondering. I lowered myself to my knees as I reached my destination, seating myself directly before the end of the cliff top overlooking the gentle ocean. Senbonzakura was seated next to me, calmly looking out over the endless horizon, hands placed in his lap. He didn't turn to me, and I didn't turn to him, both comfortable with each other, entirely at ease with the quiet that surrounded us.

If one was being boring they could very well have called it a comfortable silence.

"We ain't done yet, little Master." Said Shinsō, suddenly showing up at my shoulder with a Shunpo.

Alliteration would be the death of us all, someday.

"Why ever not?" I questioned, turning my head to face him.

"When you forged Senbonzakura, you sat on a boat and watched the sunset with him. When you forged Benihime, you discussed the future on a rooftop, overlooking a raining city. And all I get is a few measly lines? I ain't gonna be a comedic side character!"

"Mind the fourth wall." I chided.

"Fuck the fourth wall." He grumbled.

"Fine," I conceded. "What do you want to do?"

In response, Shinsō drew a blue-hilted wakizashi from his sash and struck at my head. I swayed to the left, his blade missing my head by a few scant centimetres, then recovered rapidly, summoning my new blade to my hand and going for Shinsō's throat. Instead of darting backwards onto the grass, as a human would, he darted the other way, stepping over the cliff-edge and standing on empty air.

His smile was wide.

"I wanna teach you how to use me."

A smile of my own appeared.

"Sounds kinky."

Senbonzakura turned slowly to look at me disapprovingly, lips pursed and eyes narrowed. I shrugged in response, then held the short blade out in front of me, blade angled towards Shinsō's chest.

"Shoot to Kill, _Shinsō_."

The blade extended at an immeasurable pace, hewing the thin air that lay between us. He brought his own blade up in a lazy circular parry, flicking his wrist, and directing my blade towards the ocean. I staggered forwards a second, the extending nature of the blade making it heavier by each second, growing more and more noticeable to even my phenomenal strength every second it was lengthening.

I recalled the blade, but by now it was too late, Shinsōu stood in front of me, stubby blade held to my throat.

"Mou, I expected better from my creator." He pouted mockingly.

"Your point being?"

"Quick, darting thrusts. My blade is damn easy to over-extend with. Not the biggest of issues, but we don't want you falling into any bad habits now, do we?" I clicked my tongue, irritated at my own short-sightedness. "Calm your titties. A beginners mistake, as they say." He comforted, in his own odd, teasing way. He sprung backwards, travelling about 20 metres before alighting on the air once more. "Come again." He said, beckoning with his hand.

I drew my arm back and pistoned it forwards, paying close attention to the timing of my thrusts. Each time the blade extended to reach him I would shorten it, only to strike again a millisecond later. I strung the thrusts together, stepping forwards with each, my arm and blade a veritable blur of motion. Shinsō moved backwards with me, deflecting each strike with his own blade each time I attacked.

I clicked my tongue again. This wasn't working - Shinsō was too fast to let the predictable strikes through his guard. No, I would have to use my head If I wanted a chance at beating him.

The next time I drew my blade back I adjusted my positioning, lowering my hand slightly. Instead of thrusting, I slashed, sweeping upwards from my waist while keeping the blade short. Shinsō brought his own blade down to hip-level expecting an extended blade, seeing through my feint a second too late. I brought the sword now held at my shoulder downwards, this time extending the blade. The ridiculously long sword screaming as it severed the air in twain.

Shinsō used Shunpo to vanish backwards a scant few metres, the tip passing just slightly in front of his chest. I narrowed my eyes and decided to switch strategies once more. Using the momentum of my previous swing I spun, bringing my lengthened blade with me, the extended blade carving a titanic circle from the air around me.

Shinsō raised his blade to parry mine own once more, but this time I used Shunpo to appear 10 metres behind him, body and blade still spinning, expect this time the blade was a few scant metres from him.

Shinsō grunted in surprise and bent forwards, the blade once more missing his body by just several centimetres. I shortened my blade quickly, the length of metal withdrawing without a sound, before darting forwards, covering the ground between us in an instant. My now katana-length blade met his, the two swords meeting in a marriage of sounds and sparks.

"Was my performance adequate?" I asked, ever so slightly taunting.

He cocked his head to the side and grinned.

"Could've been better."

Our blades remained locked for a handful of seconds before we sprang apart, him sheathing his own blade while my own simply disappeared, without pomp, fanfare or pink flower petals.

I felt more than saw Senbonzakura's twitch.

"You're in a rather good mood today, aren't-cha?" Benihime chimed in, standing next to the seated Senbonzakura, lazily leaning against her cane.

I considered the statement.

"I suppose I am." I conceded, amused at the thought. "What an odd feeling…" I murmured.

I had experienced many quick bursts of happiness in the past few weeks. Lisa putting her trust in me, forging Benihime, finally defeating Senbonzakura, even if it had been done with a trick. But a true, deep-seated contentment, the deep-seated, quiet warmth that enveloped my chest… I hadn't felt such a thing in a long while.

"It would seem that your happiness stems from murdering criminals." Mused Senbonzakura, eyes closed.

The three of us stared at him. He opened his eyes and stared right back at us. "That was a joke." He informed us flatly.

Shinsō laughed slowly and uncomfortably, but trailed off when I turned to look at him disapprovingly.

"You should... probably leave the jokes to us, buddy. Forever." Said Benihime, patting Senbonzakura on the shoulder in a consultative manner.

Senbonzakura brushed her hand off his shoulder with his own, then raised his grey eyes to meet Benihime's red-flecked ones.

"Are you implying that I have a bad sense of humour?" He questioned, a hidden threat lying underneath the question.

"No no no, not at al-"

"Yep."

Benihime frantically shook her head, subtly glaring daggers at Shinsō. The white-clad Zanpakuto's smile only widened.

"He's got no idea what he's talking about, he's just-"

"It's utterly horrible."

Senbonzakura nodded slowly, then closed his eyes once more.

"Very well then." An awkward silence permeated the air.

"That's not..."

Senbonzakura looked at Benihime once more.

"Is something the matter, Benihime?" He asked, his face almost, dare I say it, innocent.

"This… what… This isn't..." Stuttered Benihime, eyes fluttering rapidly beneath the rim of her hat. I burst into giggles, the corners of my eyes wrinkling as I held my hand to my mouth. Shinsō roared with laughter, clutching his stomach and slapping his thigh. And a slight, minuscule, barely-there smirk decorated the lips of Senbonzakura, the stoic sword spirit's sly smirk potentially the most amusing thing about the entire situation. And the alliteration. Who could forget the alliteration? Benihime threw her hands into the air in despair. "Fuck all of you. Just… _gah_!"

She shimmered, then burst into multiple streams of bloody energy. The streams flowed away from us then coalesced into a red-tasselled sword, tip lodged in the grassy ground of the hill.

It was a new gimmick to my inner world that I had only just discovered, presumably a result of my new and improved psychological viewpoint. Before, my blades had been nowhere to be found in my inner world, the spirits had simply materialized out of the thin air. But now, I could find each and every one of my blades lodged in the ground of the hill, the curving and graceful Senbonzakura, the straight and brutal Benihime, the short and lethal Shinsō. And my arsenal could only grow, there were still dozens of blades that lay inside me, waiting to be discovered.

It filled me with a childish excitement, just the thought of possessing more Zanpakuto sent shivers down my spine, the idea of wielding all the blades that were lodged within my soul was one that was simply _ecstatic_.

"Hullo? Ya there, little master?" Shinsō asked, eyebrow raised in query. "Ya got lost in thought for a second."

"I'm here, Shinsō," I replied. My form flickered slightly, phasing slightly like static. I cocked my head to the side. Someone in the outside world was trying to wake me, I could feel my connection to this realm wavering ever so slightly. "Though not for much longer, I'm afraid," I continued. "The real world beckons."

"Aw." Shinsō's shoulders slumped sadly.

Alliteration was Satan in disguise, I was certain of it.

"Goodbye, Taylor," Senbonzakura said, the lightest of smiles upon his lips.

"Goodbye," I said, returning the smile.

My form flickered once more, and this time I didn't try and fight it. The flickering intensified until I was more blur than flesh.

"Hey hey hey, don't I get a goodbye?" Asked Shinsō, his grin holding more cockiness than the usual, hands clasped each other in front of his stomach, hidden by the large sleeves of his robes.

I hummed in thought.

"No."

He nodded in a satisfied manner.

"I'll see ya next time, kid... _Wait_!"

I chuckled as I vanished, the outraged face of Shinsō and the amused one of Senbonzakura my last glimpse of my inner world before I was whisked away to the outer.

* * *

"Taylor, hun? There's a strange girl in our house, and she won't leave."

"What?"

"Sup." Lisa waved to me from the kitchen table, mug of some warm liquid held in her other hand.

"Lisa? Why are you in my house?" I asked, taking note of my confused father sitting on the couch, and the fact that I had apparently fallen asleep in my chair, in which I had been sitting last night.

"It's not like I've got anywhere else to go," she replied with a lackadaisical shrug, taking a sip from her mug as she did so. "You've got good taste in tea," She complimented idly.

"...Thank you," I replied flatly, turning around once more to look at dad.

We stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds, him sitting on the sofa in ruffled work clothes with a large bruise on his forehead, me seated in a thin armchair in my creaseless costume. It was a rather quaint image, a low-class worker and powerful Cape, each completely socially inept. At least when it came to talking with dad, I liked to think that I had talking to other Cape's down.

"Are you… feeling alright?" I asked, drumming my fingers along the armrest of my seat.

"Yeah, I'm, uh, I'm fine." He replied, shuffling slightly.

We sank into a silence once more, neither of us knowing what to say to get a conversation started.

Lisa snickered and looked to the side, hand covering her mouth. I turned my attention to her, eyebrow raise.

"Something to say?" I asked like a teacher questioning a child who'd been asleep in their class.

She giggled again, louder this time, and gestured at the two of us with her free hand.

"I'd always assumed that you came from some kinda upper class family, Taylor, but seeing this..." She gestured to the two of us again. "... makes me realise just how socially useless you really are." She cackled once more, slapped her knee, swayed to the side, and fell of the table with a yelpl.

I groaned and rubbed my forehead, rolling my eyes as I did so.

"I'm surrounded by idiots," I muttered.

"Visions of Scar." Mumbled Lisa from her place on the ground.

"What was that?"

"Ugh. Nothing, _mum."_

I narrowed my eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"You little _harlot_." I breathed. I turned to face dad. "Sorry Dad, I've got to..." I paused, eyes fluttering in surprise.

Dad was smiling with tears in his eyes, looking at me with an expression of such relief and contentment that I struggled to believe that it could even exist.

"Oh, _Taylor_ ," he cooed in a fond manner that both warmed my heart and made me exceedingly uncomfortable.

"Uh, da..." He cut me off with a hug, rising from his seat and rushing over to me so quickly that there was no chance for escape.

"If you'd just told me you were being a Hero because you'd made a _friend,_ I would have been happy to let you do it!" I was speechless. Lisa burst into laughter. "It's been so long since you've had a good friend, I'm so happy for you!" Dad cried joyously, squeezing me tightly in his arms.

"That's great dad, but could you please... shut _up_ Lisa... let me go?"

"Oh!" He said in surprise, letting go of me as quickly as he'd entrapped me, leaping backwards with a spruceness I never realised he'd had. "That was pretty uncool of me, right? Don't you worry Taylor, I can be a pretty lit dad," he said, accompanying the flinch-worthy comment with the cheesiest wink I'd ever seen.

Lisa was _roaring_ with laughter, clutching her belly and writhing on the floor like some kind of upturned cockroach.

"Shut up Lisa," I grumbled with what was most certainly not a pout.

Dad started to chuckle, messing up my hair fondly with one hand. He crouched down in front of me, resting one hand on my knee and setting the other over my hand. He smiled up at me with a blinding, annoyingly love-filled smile.

"Darling, I'm not going to stop you from doing what you want to." I blinked in surprise. "When you were talking to me about what you do out there, about the new life you've taken on… That was the most passionate I've ever seen you. You genuinely believe in what you're doing out there. And I can't take that away from you. Not after you've finally found something in your life worth living for."

Tears came to my eyes. They were small in number and didn't fall down my face, instead collecting on my eyelids like dew drops, but they were there.

"Dad…" I murmured.

"I was trying so hard to keep you safe, that I wasn't thinking about what made you happy." He said with an unfairly gentle smile.

I pressed his forehead to mine and closed my eyes, basking in the pure, unadulterated love of a parent. The only sound in the room was our slow, steady breathing, and the light thud of a tear tumbling from my eye and soaking into the Hakama of my costume.

I heard Lisa make a faint cooing sound in the back of her throat. Turning my head the slightest amount to glance at her, I saw her staring at us with stars in her eyes, hands clasped over her heart.

" _It's so fucking wholesome_." She whispered, awestruck.

I rolled my eyes.

* * *

"Remind me why we're doing this again?" I asked, my eyes half-lidded.

"Because you need some clothes which aren't dirt-stained hoodies," replied Lisa casually, not even turning to look at me.

We were strolling down the Boardwalk, the sun glittering cheerily in the sky, the waves below us frothing merrily. The temperature was pleasant too, neither too warm or too cold. It was one of the nicest days Brockton Bay had experienced in a long, long while, and it was nearly pleasant enough to fool me into forgetting the true, drug-ridden nature of the city.

Luckily for me, there were two druggies slumped in an alleyway perfectly situated to remind me of how nasty it really was.

Joy.

After my talk with Dad, Lisa had ordered me to get dressed and ready for a day out. When I'd asked why, she'd sourced the pleasant weather and said that it was too nice a day to be wasted hiding inside. I'd never expected Lisa to be a hippy, but I suppose you learn something new every day.

Lisa tugged on my hand again, harder this time.

"Jesus fuckin... _come on,_ Taylor. You're making this harder than sexy men make Legend." I affixed her with an incredulous expression. She rolled her eyes in response. "Oh don't you start. I'm the quipper here, you should be used to this kinda shit by now."

"I truly never thought that you'd stoop that low."

She turned around fully and glared childishly at me.

" _Taylor_ …" She warned in a menacing tone.

"Gay jokes, Lisa. I'm disappointed." She narrowed her eyes, likely uncertain if I was being serious or not. I sighed and looked at the sky, mostly to hide my growing smirk from Lisa "Fine," I conceded. "Let's go _shopping._ Happy now?"

"Very."

"Wonderful," I replied, without even the slightest hint of sarcasm.

Lisa started to mutter to herself but started walking once more anyway, dragging me along with her as she did so. After a few seconds of grumbling she visibly cheered herself up, through what method I didn't know.

"Alright then." She said, cocking her head to the side. "I'm pretty sure there's a decent store a bit further down. I think. Maybe."

"Lead the way, _Boss_."

She shivered.

"Please, for the love of all that is good and right, never, _ever,_ say that again."

I smirked.

"Say what?"

" _That."_

"Way?"

"No."

"The?"

" _No."_

"Lead?"

"You know _damn_ well what I'm talking about, Taylor."

"Oh, you meant Boss?" She drew in a sharp breath. "What's wrong with the word boss, _Boss?"_ I taunted, leaning downwards to my face was near her own, an expression of mock innocence plastered over my face.

"Stop. Stealing. My _shtick_." She retorted with an adorable scowl.

"The second you start using real words."

She screamed in frustration and threw her arms up in the air, drawing the irritated stares of some bystanders. She flipped them the bird, then rubbed her forehead with a groan.

"Can we go back to me being the teaser and you being the groaner? _Please_?" She begged.

I held my face close to her own for a few seconds, then drew back and sighed defeatedly.

"Oh alright then," I said, with an air of mock defeat.

"Thank the heavens." She muttered, turning away and striding down the wooden planks of the boardwalk. I followed dutifully, beautifully long scarf fluttering behind me as I did so. My steps were long and ground-eating, and as a result, it barely took me a second to catch up to Lisa. She looked at me thoughtfully. "You're in a pretty good mood today, aren't cha?"

"What makes you say that?" I asked, glancing at her.

"You never make jokes. Ever."

"I suppose I don't."

"So… why the mood change?"

I sighed.

"The decision that I made yesterday…" I glanced at Tattletale to make sure that she understood; I didn't want to mention anything cape related in such a public place. "It carried far more weight for me than you'd think. It was less of a discarding of ideals, and more of a discarding of my past, of all the baggage I've held since the death of my mother. I rid myself of the girl I was, and became what you see before you."

"And that is?"

I snorted amusedly.

"I suppose we'll see." She smirked slightly, although I could see that she was still troubled slightly - by what, I didn't know.

We walked for a few more minutes, basking in the sunlight. I was enjoying the feeling of walking around freely, with no Trio, no Villains, and no moral crises, just me, Lisa, and my swords.

"The store should be just around…" mumbled Lisa, breaking me out of my idle thoughts. "Here." She said, gesturing grandly at a humble white storefront that read ' _From Dust till Dawn_ '.

"Rather dramatic name for a clothes shop, isn't it?" I remarked.

"Right? They do good clothes though. I reckon they'll appeal to a grouch like you."

"Grouch?"

"You can't escape the truth."

" _Right_..." I drawled, then stepped inside the store.

The shop had a nice air to it, the walls and shelves made of some sort of dark hardwood, matching the older and more refined clothing that was hung up here. It held a dark, musty aura, like some sort of ancient library of museum.

But because this was Brockton Bay, the store was, of course, in noticeable disrepair. When one paid attention, one could see how the shelves were chipped and cracked, how most of the windows consisted of more spider-web cracks than clear glass, how the carpet beneath my feet was dark and dirty and likely hadn't been cleaned in a long while.

Despite all of this, I felt an odd kinship with the store, an unexplainable attraction that I couldn't quite place. It wasn't bright and pretty like most stores were nowadays, but neither was it fake and plastic. It was a quaint, old little thing, and I found that I rather liked it.

I started to wander through the aisles, glancing over old denim and aged leather. They were all good items of clothing in their own special ways, but I couldn't really imagine myself wearing any of them. If I was going to spend my extraordinarily low funds on something, it would have to be something that I would treasure and use for a long time, it was a waste otherwise.

"Oh, so _now_ you take it seriously." Grumbled Lisa, following beside me and watching me purvey the clothes.

"Silence child." I retorted absentmindedly, still wholly focused on the variety of clothes before me.

"Child?" She questioned, her voice either bemused or outraged, I couldn't be bothered to tell, deciding to simply place my spare finger over her lips to keep her quiet instead.

My spare hand flitted over the items of clothing for a few more seconds before coming to a halt. I considered the dark wool for a second, then wrapped my hand around the hanger and pulled it out.

It was a long black cardigan, lined with elegant white tracing made to look faintly like flowers. I rather liked it, it wasn't overly complex or fancy, but it held a certain poise to it.

Somewhat like me, I supposed.

I sighed contentedly and started to stroll down the aisle once more, heading towards the till. Lisa followed me, hands in pockets.

"That cardigan is very… _you_ ," she said in an indecipherable tone.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, turning to face her as we neared the counter.

"Eh. Take it as ya will."

"Of course," I said with an unsubtle eye roll. I put my new cardigan down in front of the counter, nodding politely to the old, balding man who stood behind the counter. I turned to Lisa. "You're paying."

She narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously.

"I'd protest, but I don't think I'd get anywhere."

"You are correct."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"Goddammit."

* * *

I stared at the grease-plastered monstrosity that sat before me, shuddering slightly as a fat droplet of oil rolled from the patty to plop wetly against the paper plate. I'd taken of my new cardigan and stowed it away as soon as I'd seen it, terrified of some stray droplets of grease tainting its wool.

"This is a crime against Nature," I confirmed, entirely certain that what sat in front of me was Lisa's fault.

She was busy squeezing ketchup onto her own burger, undoubtedly layering her hands with thousands of germs simply by touching the ketchup bottle.

"You..." She said, placing the ketchup back on the table and putting the top bun back on her burger. "... have got no appreciation for Fugly Bob's."

I nodded, conceding her point.

"That is true."

"And no appreciation for fast food in general."

"Also true."

She placed the ketchup down, exhaled greatly, threw her head back, and placed her hand against her forehead in a dramatic swooning gesture. "Oh Taylor, whatever am I to do with you?"

"Can we please just eat the burgers and go?"

"But Taylor." She whined. "Teasing you gives me half the joy in my life."

I hummed and slowly started to raise the burger to my mouth, lips curled in revulsion all the while.

"And the other half?"

"Masturbation."

I choked on my burger, the fat, greasy pieces of food travelling down my air duct, and probably coating it with sickening amounts of fatty oil. Lisa cackle maniacally, leaning back precariously in her chair and taking a bite out of her burger.

"Got em." she taunted as soon as she had stopped laughing.

I glared at her.

"Shut up."

"You know you love me."

"Not certain that I do anymore."

She snickered.

"Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen of Brockton Bay." My eyes narrowed, then slid over to the television sitting above the counter. Upon it was Bakuda, her masked face close to the camera. The room fell into a stifled silence, conversations quickly grinding to a halt. "Few days, ago, Regalia chased me down, stabbed me through the shoulder, and handed me over to Glory Girl. I've gotta admit, it wasn't exactly my best day. But it's gonna take more than some stuck up, uppity bitch to take down the _greatest fucking Tinker on the planet_." She stepped away from the camera, revealing the green trench coat she was wearing, and the ABB grunts that stood behind her. "This right here, is a message not just for Brockton Bay, but for Regalia."

I tutted in displeasure, and rose from my seat, no longer paying attention to the undoubtedly long and boring monologue Bakuda was reciting. Lisa rose with me, sighing wearily all the while.

"No rest for the wicked, eh?" She mused.

I chuckled.

"So it would seem."

* * *

 **Few things to mention before we all go out separate ways.**

 **Shinso/Gin may have seemed a bit out of character. He's usually mocking and taunting in an aloof sort of manner, never really letting his mask/smile drop except for a few special occasions. He's still the same Gin we know and love in WGAE, but he's acting differently in this specific scenario. Why? Two reasons. First is that he's around loved ones. In the show, we only ever see him in combat situations. Even when he's around Rangiku, the woman he loves (yes he does, fuck you) he's still got that mocking air to him. Why? Because he isn't safe. He's always either fighting someone else or under the watchful and suspicious eye of Aizen. As a result, he had to act a bit crueller and meaner than he really was, and we never saw him when he was relaxed or at all at peace. He is in this scene. Second reason? He's nervous. Seems a bit weird, but let me explain. Imagine if, when you were born, you had to talk and interact with your mother and father. Just brought into existence, and immediately meeting some of the most important people in your life, bound to give someone a bit of stage fright. It's the same situation with Gin, but with a difference - he came out of Taylor's decision to kill. And if she was regretting that decision when Shinso came about, it's very possible that she would have tried to take out some of her own turmoil on Shinso, or at least not trust in him as much as the other swords. Basically put, in the above scene, although he covers it up with his typical cheery mask, Shinso is anxious, and very nearly afraid. And although he joked about it (while breaking the fourth wall), that one comment about him being secondary to the other two swords was very real to him, it's a thought that he's legitimately scared of.**

 **Secondly, Danny. Why is he instantly over the argument that he and Taylor had, and now perfectly fine with her being a hero? Because I was bored of it, that's why. The plotline was boring, Danny himself is boring, and to top it of, it didn't at all match the tone of the chapter. Every time I thought about writing it, I just didn't want to. It felt predictable and dull. So I did what you saw above, I made a joke out of it. And the saddest thing is is that it doesn't even make a difference. Joke or no joke, Danny is still going to return to the background, and let Taylor do the one thing she's actually good at. And that was what clinched the decision to write it like I did above: if it makes no difference if the plotline ends in a joke or not, then why the hell are you writing it?**

 **Every time damn time I write one of these AN's, I tell myself It's gonna be small. And look where that get's me. Over 400 words. Goddammit.**

 **Thank you for reading, and please, leave a review. It warms the heart.**


	20. Shoot to Kill - Interlude

**One thing to mention before we get started.**

 **Guest reviews. I recently received 3 guest reviews that all raised extremely valid points, targeting the very prominent flaws in the story and explaining why they were so bad. At first, I hadn't realised that they were guest reviews, and so when I got home from school, ready to have a long discussion with some random guy on the internet about my writing style and how I could improve it, I was pretty bummed to find out that I had no way of doing so. Which leads me to this; If you want to compliment the story in a simple manner, like saying "This is great," or "I love what you're writing", then by all means, submit a guest review. The same applies for basic criticism, if you're gonna say "you can't write for shit," or "You're story sucks complete ass", then use a guest review. But if you're gonna write something long and complex, if you're gonna put genuine effort into critiquing my writing, then do us both a favour and create an account. It not only allows me to learn more through conversation with you, it also allows me to give you credit for giving me a thought-out review, as well as letting you make sure I've fully understood your points. You don't have to, of course, but I think it's better for both of us if you do.**

 **Now that that's out of the way, let's get on with the Interlude.**

 **Many thanks to Zaralann for helping me with this chapter.**

 **I do not own Bleach or Worm. They belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

 **Years ago**

Emily Hagiwara didn't think her Mama loved her very much.

Mama never spent time with her, instead spending her time working and earning money at the local laundromat. She didn't have a father either, Mama only said that he'd died shortly after she was born. She said hello to her in the morning and evening, of course, but never more than that. She didn't hug her, or kiss her forehead, or even help to do her hair, as her few friends' parents did.

It left her very lonely. Even though she had friends at school she always felt out of place, her inky Asian hair and slanted face standing out among her purebred peers. She didn't think they really liked her either, she'd sometimes hear them whispering conspiratorially to each other about her, giggling guiltily and glancing over their shoulders to make sure that no one was looking.

Emily often wondered how she could make people like her more. Her mother didn't seem to like her very much, and neither did her friends, so she was probably doing something wrong. But she just couldn't figure out what it was! She started to do her hair as neatly as she could every morning, made sure that she never came home dirty, brushed her teeth in both the morning and evening. But nothing worked, Mama kept ignoring her, and _still_ didn't give her hugs or kisses.

The next thing she tried was working hard at school. She'd never been the smartest girl; not stupid, not clever, just somewhere in between. But now she was determined to be the best, to always get full marks on the spellings tests and submit all her homework early. But it still didn't work, Mama barely even nodded her head when she shouted happily about her perfect marks, didn't notice that Emily had stopped going outside to play with her friends.

One night, Emily just couldn't sleep. Everything felt very scary all of a sudden, like a big weight pushing down on her shoulders, flattening her like an insect under a car wheel. She curled herself into a little ball and thought hard, holding sniffles back all the while. There had to be _something_ she was missing, some hole in her thinking.

And then she realised something.

If mama didn't love her when she was either the best looking child or the smartest child, then she'd just have to be the best at both of them.

She'd have to be the best at _everything._

And so she worked her little heart out.

She spent all her free time at home practising her writing and reading, perfecting all the hard words like 'furious' and 'insane'. When she was at school, she made herself the centre of the groups, led the conversations, made sure that she was always smiling happily, making funny jokes. She even helped her friends when they fell over and scraped their knees. She always raised her hand in class, helped the teachers hand out the papers, and she never _ever_ said bad words.

But it didn't change anything. In fact, it was almost as if it had made everything worse. Mama barely talked to her anymore, there were times when she came into the house and just fell asleep on the sofa, without even saying hello. Her hair had started to go grey, her wrinkles had started to turn into crags, and she now walked with the stoop that the grandma's walked with.

But Emily kept trying. Because what else was she meant to do? If Mama didn't love her when she was the best at _everything,_ then she wouldn't ever love her, because there was no way to be better than being the best at everything. And that meant that Mama would never love her. And the thought of that was so very _scary_ that she couldn't bear to even imagine it.

And so she kept trying.

And trying.

And trying.

And then, her Mama died.

It had been very sudden. She'd walked into the house, wearing her biggest grin, ready to ask her Mama if she'd mind coming to the primary school graduation ceremony. But when she shook her Mama's shoulder (she was sleeping on the couch again), Mama didn't get up. Emily cocked her head to the side and shook her again. And she still didn't get up.

When Emily shook her for the third time, she shook a bit too hard, and her Mama fell off the sofa and onto the floor.

"Mama?" Emily asked, confused and a little bit scared. "Mama? What are you doing?" Her Mama didn't respond. "Oh! Is this a joke?" Chirped Emily, happy that nothing bad had happened to her Mama. She giggled like she did with her friends, even though she didn't think it was very funny. "It's very funny Mama, but would you mind getting up now? I want to ask you something, and…" She trailed off, starting to get a bit scared again. "Get up please, Mama. It isn't very funny anymore." When her Mama didn't respond, she bent over and shook her shoulder again. "Please Mama, get up. You're scaring me." She said, a pit starting to form in her stomach. "Mama?"

* * *

The sun was shining merrily when her Mama was laid to rest.

It wasn't raining like she'd seen in movies, it wasn't even grey. The bright, warm summer weather had stayed bright and warm, even though her Mama had died. It was almost as if the world didn't care that her Mama had died, like her death was so unimportant that it didn't even notice. But that couldn't be right, because it was obviously a very important thing. Mama had _died,_ it wasn't something that the world could just _ignore,_ like her friends when they ignored the insects they stepped on.

Emily was the only one at the funeral. Nobody else had bothered to come It was just her, and the old, tired, pastor whose robes were wrinkled and creased. Even he left after a short while, his shoulders holding a sad tilt to them as he walked away.

At that moment, Emily felt lonelier than she had ever felt before. There was no one else there. No else there to mourn the death of her only family, no one to hug her while she cried. Instead, she cried by herself, sniffling quietly and hugging herself with her small arms. No one else really seemed to care about her Mama's death.

Not the world.

Not her friends.

And then, she realised something. Something horrifying.

 _Nobody cared._

Nobody cared about her Mama's death. Her Mama had died, and no one had come to the funeral to grieve, to mourn, no one was sad about it except for her. There was nobody else who cared that Mama had died, that she'd left a daughter behind, with no one to take care of her. And Emily didn't even know why she was sad. She'd been her Mama, yes, but she'd never really loved her, had she? She was only sad because all of a sudden, her Mama never _would_ love her. She'd never hug her, never kiss her, never smile proudly as she got a good job.

And nobody cared. Both herself and her Mama had been forgotten by everyone, just another person to be added to the long, long list, another unimportant little girl that nobody would bother to think of or care for.

And then she realised something else.

Was this what was going to happen to her?

Was nobody going to care when she died? Was even the world going to keep on going, not acknowledging her death in the slightest?

Emily suddenly felt very cold, she could feel goosebumps pimple her skin, could feel icy fingers start to creep up her spine.

She shook her head.

No. _No._ _ **NO.**_

She wouldn't be forgotten. She wouldn't be ignored. No, she would be _remembered._ Everyone would cry when she died, everyone would come to her funeral. She would be special, and important, she would be so incredible that _nobody_ wouldn't know who she was.

And if she was special, then everyone would love her as well. Because everyone loved special people, _everyone_ loved people who were the best.

She wouldn't just be remembered by everyone, she'd be _loved_ by everyone.

Because she would be _the best._

She left that graveyard a new person. She'd lost the only thing that had ever been important to her, her Mama. But she'd gained something new. She'd gained a _purpose._ She wouldn't be like her Mama, who no one had cared about, who'd been forgotten as soon as she'd died.

She'd be different from the masses.

She'd be _special._

* * *

Emily Hagiwara was a genius.

Almost everyone agreed with that statement. Her professors, who were constantly amazed by her perfect grades. Her peers, who were left speechless at her constant success and excellence. She was the golden girl of the college, someone so damnably special that everyone looked up to her in some manner.

And she was very, very lonely.

She'd used her intelligence (which was based more off work-ethic than talent) to claw her way into a well-reputed college in a less well-reputed city called Brockton Bay, moving from her past Boston home without once looking back.

She'd left behind all her past friends and acquaintances, and more importantly, the home and city she'd grown up with her Mama in. For her past, she'd exchanged a future, a chance at obtaining her goal. And it wasn't a decision she regretted, but it was definitely one she felt… difficult, about.

She hadn't truly realised, just how lonely it was at the top. No one talked to her as a girl, as Emily, the pillar she had been put on made sure of that. She was praised, she was complimented, but she was never truly talked to as a person.

She didn't regret it though. To trade childhood happiness for her goal, being lonely to be special, she was fine with it. It was her way of life, after all, devoting everything she had to being the best. It had been that way since she could remember, and she didn't really know how to live any other way.

But as had been the case with her mother's death, something came around to shake her off her seat, to once again challenge her devotion to her goal.

This time, rather than death, it was another human. A new student, blonde, pretty, voluptuous and creamy-skinned, but somehow not vapid. No, although the new girl looked like a bimbo, she most certainly wasn't one. People were always whispering about how intelligent she was, the _perfect_ record she'd held at her old school, her prodigal academic skills.

It sparked something within Emily she didn't think she'd actually had: jealousy. The sight of seeing someone else taking her limelight, being raised on the same pillar that she'd always occupied, through what seemed to be half the effort - the bitch was always chatting with friends after school, when she should be studying - sparked an angry, envious thing that coiled within Emily's gut.

But she suppressed it. She didn't have time for feelings like jealousy. Even if the blonde - Taylor was her name - had all the prettiness she'd wanted so badly as a child, and the brainpower of herself without really trying, she refused to be jealous. Because she was _special,_ she wasn't like everyone else. She couldn't be. Because if she was, she'd be forgotten.

Like Mama.

And then came a grand opportunity. A research facility had reviewed the work of all of the college students, and had been especially impressed by the work of two, Emily and Taylor, of course; so much so that they offered a job to whichever one of them fared better on the exam they handed out.

After years and years, it all culminated in one test, a single, final trial, the only thing stopping her from carving her own chunk out of history. Her hands shook as she took the test, a blend of adrenaline, excitement, and pure, unfiltered determination shredding her nerves to little pieces.

That test had been the most important thing she had ever taken in her life, what her entire life had been riding on. And she had passed it, she had achieved a grade so unbelievably rare that it had only been achieved by a smidgen of others. And yet, Taylor had scored just as well as she did.

Something about that had just ticked her in the wrong way. Emily had _worked_ for her place. She had achieved her position after bleeding and crying and sweating and _working._ The odds had been stacked against her, but she had succeeded through sheer fucking _willpower._

But Taylor, Taylor hadn't worked for her place like Emily had. She'd been born beautiful. Emily hadn't. She'd been born a genius. Emily hadn't. She'd been handed everything to her in life.

Emily hadn't.

And so, outraged, she had stormed to the office, ready to argue as to why she was a better choice over some pretty little white girl.

When she had arrived at the door to the man's office the door had been locked. Furious and reckless, she had demanded that a passing Janitor open the door. The Janitor had done so, and the doors had opened to reveal what would prove to be the most shocking moment of her life.

The pretty blond thing had been on her knees before the visiting scientist, her head over his crotch, bobbing up and down slowly. The man's pants had been down around his ankles, his cock deep in the girl's mouth. The old man's eyes had gone wide with fright as soon as the door opened, but the girl didn't seem to notice, concentrating fully on her _task._

Something inside Bakuda had snapped then, knowing that even after all she had done, after all she had sacrificed, after all she had accomplished, she was still below the pretty blonde things of the world. That no matter what she did, she would never, _ever_ be able to reach the top; not because she wasn't intelligent enough, or not hard-working enough, because she didn't know how to give a _fucking_ _blowjob_.

It was like re-experiencing her childhood again all in one instant, the desperation, the insignificance, the feeling of being worth _nothing,_ had all come roaring back, flooding her head with their rawness, accompanied by the violent snapping of something in the back of her mind.

And she had exploded.

After barely an hour, the entire building had been reduced to a pile of cinders, torn apart from the inside by impossibly powerful explosions. People were screaming, sirens were wailing, and cameras were flashing.

Emily had staggered out of the rubble away from the crowds, covered in ash and grit, her face one of complete shock and horror, terrified at the destruction she had wrought, at what she was capable of when she lost her temper.

And then, after sleeping in an alleyway and trading clothes with a homeless man for a dollar, she'd seen the days newspaper. The incineration of her school had been plastered all over the front pages, headlines boldly declaring that the act had been committed by a student, of all things, and would likely be remembered by Brockton Bay for decades to come.

She'd dropped the paper numbly then, at the realization that an act of terror and murder had brought about that long-sought fame, that after all _shit_ she'd gone through to have a chance to be remembered, that it was something _given_ to her by sheer happenstance and coincidence that brought about her fame.

It wasn't intelligence.

It wasn't devotion.

It was _Luck._

And for the second time in two days, something inside of her had snapped, her worldview altered so drastically that it would never recover.

She'd been given this power, certainly. It had been circumstance, coincidence, completely fair and unfair at the same time. But what she did with this ability, this newfound power, that was up to her.

So she'd devote herself to it, as she did with all things in life. She'd take this power, and she'd make it her own. She'd master it, and she'd use it to spread her name across the globe. She wouldn't be some small-time cape, soon to be imprisoned and sent to the birdcage. No. She would be the best fucking tinker the world had ever seen. She would carve her name into the history of the world one way or another, she _refused_ to be forgotten, like so many before her. She would take this gift that had been given to her, the one and only privilege she had ever received, and she would use it.

A wild, gleeful smile had then appeared on her face, one of both pure happiness and intense relief. She'd made it. Finally. After years upon years of yearning and wanting, she'd finally become known to the world.

She would be _remembered._

* * *

Bakuda knew that somewhere along the line, she'd lost a very important part of herself, she'd lost whatever made her human and normal.

But she didn't care. All she had left was her goal, her ideal, the wish she'd held close to her chest as a child, the dream she had tried so very hard to achieve.

Because she would never, _ever_ be forgotten.

But now, she was doubting herself. Locked up in a small cage, cameras lining the walls, dressed in a grey smock that chafed like a bitch, she was beginning to wonder if she would be forgotten after all. If everything she had worked towards in her life hadn't meant shit, that she was just as useless as every forgettable idiot living in this city. It scared her, in a way that only Lung came close to reaching, for her biggest fear to be realised.

The thought made her shiver.

Bakuda grit her teeth and slammed her hands against her bunk, frustrated and furious. The world was shitty, her life was shitty, and to top if all of, she was _shivering?_

It was infuriating.

No, she wouldn't have it. She would stand at the top of the world, she would be the best fucking tinker the world had ever seen, and more. She would be remembered for all of time as the tinker who had stunned the world with her explosives.

 _No one_ would forget her.

All she had to do was get out of this bloody prison.

And then, as if fate itself had bent to her will, Oni Lee appeared before her in a puff of ash, singular eye gazing flatly at her. He grabbed her by the arm, ignoring her outraged cry, and teleported outside, then again, then again.

Scenery flashed by the eyes of Bakuda, grey hallways, black sky and moonlit ocean, coming and going in the blink of an eye. It was dizzyingly fast, and Bakuda started to feel sick after a few ports; but she refused to show weakness in front of someone like Oni Lee, so she restrained herself.

After about a minute of sickening transportation, they arrived at some kind of warehouse, swarming with the activity of ABB grunts. The terrifying figure of Lung standing calmly in the middle of it, arms crossed as he monitored the work going on around him.

Bakuda found that it was easy to figure someone out how dangerous someone was by how others treated them. If people refused to meet the subject's eyes, that meant they were afraid. And Nobody in the warehouse dared to look at Lung. The eyesof the grunts were glued to their feet as they ran to and fro, trying their very best to stay out of The Dragon of Kushu's way.

Oni Lee teleported once more, bringing himself and Bakuda directly in front of Lung. He looked down at them, bloodshot eyes smouldering behind a dragonesque steel helmet.

Bakuda grit her teeth, clenched her fists, and bowed. She hated to do so, to admit that someone else was better than her, more infamous and with more power under the belt. But eventually, she would be like him, she would hold the power that he did. She _would._

"Bakuda." Lung's voice was more gravel than sound, punching her in the stomach with its intensity.

"Yes?"

"You are pathetic." Bakuda snarled and glared up at him, blue eyes meeting bloodshot brown. He didn't even bother to assert his dominance, simply staring her down without a reaction. Somehow, it was even more infuriating. "Not only were you imprisoned a few hours after you revealed yourself to the world, you were taken down by a little girl with more power than sense. You are one of the most pitiful excuses for a villain I have ever seen in my life." Bakuda dashed forwards, screaming furiously, only for Oni Lee to clamp his hand down on her shoulder and drive her to her knees with his own. And still, Lung just stood there, a motionless and pitiless statue. "If I had any other choice, I wouldn't have freed you. But Oni Lee has failed to kill the girl not once, but twice, and your specific powerset allows you to fight her more effectively." He crouched down before her, body rippling smoothly as he came to her eye level. His eyes stared calmly into hers, nothing but sheer contempt contained within them. "I want you to keep that in mind. You were not freed for your mind, nor were you freed for your skills. You were freed for your Powers." Bakuda's eyes widened in anger, before she shoved Oni Lee's hand off her shoulder and punched Lung in the face. The man didn't even move, her hand bouncing off his mask like a bullet off a tank. She cried out as her hand flopped downwards uselessly, wrist and fingers broken. Bakuda grit her teeth and tried to punch him again, but his hand shot out and grabbed her own before it could strike him, his grasp tight, but not painfully so. "Break your hands, and you lose the ability to create your bombs, which makes you useless to me."

Lung stood up, pulling Bakuda up with him. The woman started to shake, realizing that she had just struck _Lung_ , and knowing what happened to those that did.

In one smooth movement, he lifted Bakuda up by her arm and threw her across the room like a ragdoll. She collided with a pair of grunts, the technology they had been carrying spilling to the floor around her. She moaned, head spinning and body throbbing.

Lung strode across the room slowly, right hand starting to glow a scorching orange as he tapped into a smidgen of his powers. Smoke streamed from the appendage, coiling around his muscled arm and floating to the air above him.

Bakuda laid eyes upon him, grunted, and started to crawl away, dragging herself across the floor with her non-broken hand. The two men she'd knocked over rushed away, desperately trying to stay out of Lung's way.

Lung reached her in a bare few seconds, feet thudding against the ground. Bakuda looked up at him in both fear and anger, teeth clenched and face streaked with involuntary tears.

The steel-faced man knelt down, set his left hand gently upon Bakuda's shoulder, and pressed the smouldering one upon her collarbone.

She screamed and writhed underneath his grip, hands clawing against his broad arm, legs slamming ineffectively into his torso. The room started to stink of burning flesh, the tan skin under Lung's hand bubbling and spitting as it burnt.

Lung held his hand there for a good 15 seconds, his scarred hands preventing Bakuda from escaping, no matter how much she wriggled and writhed. After the skin beneath his hand started to blacked, Lung grunted removed his glowing hand from Bakuda's chest, orange glow dying down to reveal scarred skin. He leaned down until his face was just above hers.

"You have until tomorrow night to kill Regalia. I don't care how you do it, or who you kill to do so - she's in the way." He rose, pitilessly staring at the groaning woman he'd just tortured. She stared up at him, eyes wide in what was now simply fear. "Everything in this warehouse is yours to use, including the men. I expect success. Failure will mean your death."

Lung walked towards the exit of the building, his men scrambling to get out of his way. Oni Lee followed him, the one-eyed man's steps making no noise as opposed to the thuds of Lung's own footsteps.

Bakuda stared at the ceiling, entire body shaking from both pain and fear. The hand-shaped burn on her collarbone was unimaginably painful, sending lances of scorching agony up and down her chest.

She stood up slowly, using her free hand to support her unsteady rise. The men around her stared at her, in both pity and fear. She'd crossed Lung, and suffered for it - but she was well known among the ABB for being cruel, insane, and far too fond of explosives.

Bakuda exhaled shakily, and surveyed the room with seething eyes. Now that she looked closer, she could see that the grunts all held crates of tech in their hands, from wires to plating to fuel packs; everything she'd need to work her craft.

"Listen up Dipshits!" She roared, stepping up onto one of the fallen crates to gain some height. She just barely managed to conceal the violent wave of pain that flowed through her body as she did so. "I want you to organise all the tech into three piles, wiring, circuitry and plating! I don't care where you put them, but it better be fucking distinct! I want you all to bring tables in, and they better be fucking stable! Anyone who has a brain worth more than a pile of shit get me access to a popular news channel and a good camera!"

Life gave her shit. It gave her an ugly face, it gave her a low class-birth, it gave her place-stealing sluts, it gave her sociopathy, it gave her Lung, it gave her Regalia.

But if there was one thing that she would never, _ever,_ do, was take it lying down. She would rise to the top, she would overcome everything that life threw at her. And eventually, it would all be worth it. She'd reach her goal, she'd finally have done it, she'd _win._ And at the top would be everything she'd ever wished for. Recognition, acknowledgement, remembrance.

And absolutely _nothing_ would get in her way.

"And someone get me my mask!"

* * *

 **An Odd thing I noticed about Worm is that none of the early antagonists have any depth to them. The ABB isn't boring by any means, but they're entirely one dimensional. The Empire are dreadful with the maybe-exception of Kaiser, Armsmaster (arguably) only becomes interesting Post-leviathan, and Coil is kinda like the ABB - A fantastic villain, but still one-dimensional and flat. This is probably because Wildbow was still getting the hang of things, and because Taylor and the Undersiders were technically villains themselves, but my point remains - Early-worm villains/antagonists aren't the greatest.**

 **And because my own personal favourite thing in a story is a complex but still sinister villain, I decided to incorporate one into my own. And so we have what you see above us, something that adds actual potential to Bakuda's character outside of "Crazy bomb bitch goes boom boom," while explaining why she acts as she does, and potentially justifying it (only to a certain extent, of course). And now that I've created her backstory, I find myself kinda attached to her. Whether she becomes a moderately important character or not is still somewhat unclear, but If I decide to go that route, then I have got _plans._**

 **Thank you for reading what I think is my best interlude yet. Hopefully you're looking forward to the confrontation between Bakuda and Taylor, and if you're worried about how I'm going to make such a fight more than a cakewalk for dearest TayTay, then don't you worry. As I said above, I have got _plans._ (Or, more accurately, my Beta does, when it comes to the upcoming fight scene anyway.)**

 **Thank you for reading, and please do tell me if I managed to coax out a smidge of empathy for Bakuda from your hearts, or at least give her some half-decent reasons for her being the way she is. That was my goal, after all.**

 **Have a wonderful summer.**


	21. Bloom 4-1

**I said that my update schedule would be far quicker in the summer.**

 **That was not a lie.**

 **But this chapter... well. Four complete revisions.**

 _ **Four.**_

 **I won't go into too much detail, and keep you from what everyone's actually here for. But suffice to say, it was a tough one. And then some.**

 **A million thank you's to Zaralann.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach or Worm. They belong to Tite Kubo and Wildbow respectively.**

* * *

We found Bakuda standing atop the tallest building in Brockton Bay. Tattletale and I were on the rooftop of one of the skyscrapers beneath Bakuda's, Tattletale crouched on her haunches, me standing straight and tall.

"That's… odd." My friend mused, cocking her head to the side. I raised an eyebrow in question.

"Fighting in an open space like that gives you the advantage." She said to me. "If I was her, I would have fought in a small, tight space, stopped you from hopping all over the place." She glanced at me warningly. "It's a trap. You might as well just blast her from a distance."

I clicked my tongue in annoyance as I realised something.

"I can't. Bakuda is filming this, correct?" Tattletale nodded slowly. "She's turned this into a matter of public relations. If I kill her, the Protectorate will most likely respond aggressively, as to respond to their own public being displeased with my nature."

Tattletale groaned.

"So you're going to walk into the trap?"

"I'm going to walk into the trap."

"Don't say I didn't warn ya."

"I'll keep it in mind."

I drew Senbonzakura in a flourish of flower petals. I was eager to try out Shinso, but my original blade would be far better at dealing with Bakuda, able to deal with her bombs at a distance and attack her from multiple angles.

I vanished from the rooftop with a quiet hiss of air.

When I alighted upon the bare roof of the Skyscraper, Bakuda was facing away from me, head cocked to the side, a dark grey trench coat upon her shoulders. She looked over her shoulder at me, her gas mask concealing her face.

"I think I hate you the most."

I raised my eyebrow curiously, but let her continue. I'd let her have her minute of fame, let her have her little monologue. And then I'd put her down, like the mad dog she was.

"You're ridiculously, unfathomably, unfairly powerful. First time you show up, you take out an entire team of Villains. Second time, you launch some ridiculously powerful blast off, demolish an entire fucking street. Third time, you take me down. And you didn't work for any of it." She turned around fully and started to walk towards me. I could feel her glare behind her mask. "All of us lot, we scrabble amongst each other like rabid dogs. All fighting, ripping and tearing at each other for something more, a chance at greatness. But you?" She jabbed her finger into my chest, her face ten centimetres from my own. I gazed coldly at her. "You were given that power. Each and every step forwards, I have to work for. But you... you just pull some fancy sword out of your ass, swing it around a bit, and then everyone falls to their knees, praising your very fucking existence!"

She got angrier and angrier as she went on, her words lined with a fury so powerful It very nearly moved me. Nearly.

I felt my lips curl into a slight sneer.

Her very existence disgusted me. This was her justification for stealing so many lives? For slaughtering hundreds? It went against everything I stood for, for a single individual's hardships to mean the suffering of the many. The thought filled me with loathing. I itched to unleash the full brunt of my Reiatsu upon her, to break her body in two. But I couldn't do that now, not with the cameras that Bakuda had facing me, undoubtedly broadcasting this encounter to the world. No, for now, I would have to settle for breaking her in other ways.

I was brought back to what was happening as Bakuda backed off, stepping away from me slowly, her breathing harsh and choppy.

"Why don't we see how you do without those fancy powers?" She raised a black box, topped with a switch. I didn't say anything, but my subtle sneer said more than enough. "This bomb will take away your Powers. And mine. It'll leave us both as normal fucking humans, with nothing that's been given to us letting us win."

Ah.

"And you think that my lack of powers will let you beat me?" I scorned.

She snarled.

"Without a fucking doubt."

Her bomb was... irritating. I was fairly certain that my Powers were not the standard ones found among the Capes of my home. But I didn't want to broadcast that fact to the world, it would simply paint a target on my back, turn many individuals' attention - both savoury and less savoury - to me. So I wouldn't be able to use my Reiatsu-based techniques for this fight.

Not that such a thing would be much of an issue if Bakuda was handicapping herself as well.

Bakuda flicked the switch on the bomb, sending out a bright blue pulse wave. It tickled slightly as it passed over me, but didn't affect my Powers in any way, I could still feel my Reiryoku, as strong as ever.

It was odd, to have confirmation of my peculiarity. I'd always known, somehow, but to have it confirmed made me feel… I wasn't entirely sure.

Bakuda tossed the bomb to the side, then reached into her trenchcoat and tore from it a wakizashi, the short, red-hilted blade plain and dull in comparison to Senbonzakura.

She was going to try and fight me with a sword?

She was far less intelligent than I'd previously fought.

The Mad Bomber started to charge at me, blade held in front of her chest, Wakizashi clutched tightly in her hands. It was a beginner's mistake, a grip too tight meant that her attacks would be clunky and awkward. But despite that, her posture wasn't terrible. Did she actually posses some form of training in swordsmanship?

My eyes moved to the cameras, assessing them, and taking my eyes off Bakuda. Belittling her, dismissing her. Foolish in any other situation, but I wasn't worried about Bakuda's ability to wound me in any manner - I was more interested in toying with her emotions, showing her how hopelessly outmatched she was.

"Eyes on me, bitch," She spat, lunging at me with a thrust.

I danced around the blow and struck the back of her head with the flat of Senbonzakura's blade.

"Slow," I scorned, using my height to look down on her.

She grunted angrily, planted her foot, and started to aggressively slash at my torso in a chain of blows, much quicker than before. I avoided each of the strikes with as much ease as I had the first one, my body swaying and shifting so the wakizashi cut air instead of flesh.

Bakuda planted her foot once more, and this time delayed her strike by a half-second, hoping to catch me off guard. I didn't fall for the ploy, instead moving beneath the slow strike and hooking my foot around her ankle, tripping her up with a spin.

"Predictable," I scoffed, looking down at her once more.

Bakuda kicked upwards with a snarl, lifting her legs off the floor by planting her hands on the floor, aiming to strike my stomach. I sprung away from the kick, gliding backwards about a metre. Bakuda tried to spring upwards, but I darted forwards and intercepted her, flipping Senbonzakura so I held the sword by the blade in both hands - Reiryoku flooding them to prevent the blade from cutting me - and slammed the hilt across her face, sending her sprawling backwards.

"Unbalanced," I sneered, flipping Senbonzakura in my hands so I held it by the hilt once more, then lowering my guard in a slow, measured movement.

The snarl she gave left me no doubt that she'd picked up on the unspoken insult.

I let her rise this time, let her charge at me, growling all the while. And when her blade shot towards me, I let it lock together with my own, let her match her strength against mine. I flicked my wrist, sending her shorter and lighter blade off to the side, then planted my foot in her chest and sent her flying backwards across the rooftop.

"And above all, _weak_."

Bakuda rose once more, this time slower than before. Whether that was because I'd physically wounded her in some manner, or If was because my taunts had started to affect her mental state, it was unclear. Either way, I was succeeding.

I was breaking her.

Bakuda roared angrily and charged at me once more, blade raised over her head. I sighed and shook my head, the gesture more patronising than rueful, before I strode forwards to meet her, Senbonzakura still low by my side.

When her blade came down, far faster than it had done so before, my blade shot up to meet it. She struck again, and again, and I met each blow with my own sword, the sound of ringing steel filling the air.

"Everything I've mentioned so far is a factor in your pathetic swordsmanship, Bakuda," I said, parrying a rapid thrust as I did so. "But it isn't just your swordsmanship that is disappointing." Senbonzakura cut towards her throat, Bakuda raised her blade to meet it. "I've realised something, throughout this little duel of ours." When our blades clashed once more, I spun Senbonzakura in a circular parry, flinging her sword off the side of the rooftop. "Without your Powers, you are _nothing_."

Bakuda went quiet for a second. She burst into motion suddenly, grabbing the back of my neck with her left hand and slamming her masked forehead into my own, filling my eyes with tears. Her free hand vanished into the folds of her coat, and from it drew a second Wakizashi. The blade was a blur as it neared my stomach, her other hand preventing me from dodging, my death seemingly inevitable.

"Burn in Hell." She snarled lowly, voice full of raw, unfiltered emotion.

I stepped to the side of the blow calmly, catching her wrist with a grip made of iron. I slammed the pommel of Senbonzakura into her throat and let go of her wrist, watching coldly as she fell backwards, clutching feebly at her throat.

I scoffed and turned wordlessly away from her fallen body, striding over to where she had left the bomb. Admittedly, she had been close to scoring a hit on me. If I didn't often duel with warriors who used Shunpo, then I didn't doubt that she would have killed me then and there. But I was used to unexpected, ridiculously fast attacks, Bakuda's surprise attack, however well executed, paled in comparison.

It was still irritating, the fact that she'd even come close to wounding me. She wasn't entirely useless without her gift, apparently. Not that she would know that. In her eyes, she'd failed to even ruffle Regalia. It had to be utterly crushing to her.

A remarkably satisfying feeling.

I nudged Bakuda's bomb off the edge of the building with a foot, watching as it tumbled down to the ground, all those metres away. There was something fixating about watching it, that unstoppable descent, even when knowing the ending to it.

A crunch of gravel alerted me to Bakuda. I spun quickly, and just barely managed to avoid the jab that she threw at my face, throwing my body to the side and slapping her fist away with the flat of Senbonzakura. My foot passed over the edge of the building, and for one haunting second I felt myself topple backward, but the Reishi came together underneath my foot in time, leaving me with one foot on the building and one foot off.

Bakuda growled and tried to drive her knee into my stomach. I banished Senbonzakura and caught the blow with my good hand, flicking my elbow up and catching her jaw. She stumbled backwards, hand holding her jaw. She'd removed her mask for some reason, and without it I could see the tears that stained her face, the blood that ran from her nose, the hair that clung messily to her forehead. She looked… despondent. As if she was near the edge of defeat, but was clinging onto the few, fragile embers of will that remained, like a drowning man clinging to a lifering.

It was rather shocking, like a douse of cold water.

"You really don't stay down, do you?" I murmured.

Her face looked undeniably, irrevocably human. I couldn't make a parallel between it and the mad bomber I had just broken down at an emotional level. The two just didn't match up. She grit her teeth and threw another desperate punch, wild and sloppy. I deflected it with my palm, but I couldn't bring myself to retaliate. I didn't see the point in striking someone so… fragile.

"I'm not weak." She snarled, her face inches from mine. "I'm _not_."

She repeated, her voice losing its power, it's fire. She sounded more like she was talking to herself than to me.

I shoved her backwards, watched her topple backwards, collide with the rooftop. Somehow, I knew she wouldn't be getting back up again.

I clenched my fists.

This was it. Right here, right now, I could kill her. Slip my blade between her ribs, leave her to die. It would be just. It would be fair. She had killed hundreds with only a handful of bombs, and her life was a mere trinket in comparison to theirs.

So why didn't it feel right?

Bakuda started to laugh, the dry chortles full of bitterness and dried-up resentment.

"I tried, Mama," she chuckled. "I fucking tried. But I'm not strong enough. I'm not special enough." What? "I just wanted you to love me, Mama. Why couldn't you do that? Just that small, little thing? You meant the world to me, Mama. Why didn't I mean the world to you?"

I frowned, then scoffed at myself. This was it? The extent of my willpower? To be turned on its head by a sad face and a sob story? She had killed hundreds. She would be killed in return.

That's all there was to it.

I summoned Shinso to my hand and started to step forward.

And spun, as I felt a presence behind me.

My eyes widened.

Lung stood beside me, impossibly, the man unfathomably huge in person. He just stood there in human form, arms crossed before his heavy chest. I darted towards him, thrust the blade of Shinso into his exposed chest. His regeneration was powerful, but If I could just…

The air suddenly heated to a ridiculous level.

I flooded my entire body with as much reiatsu as I could, leaving Shinso in his chest and crossing my arms in front of my body. The man erupted into scalding flames, the searing orange energy coalescing around him and bursting outwards in a devastating attack.

I staggered backwards, forearms burnt at what was most likely the second degree. Pain danced over my skin like small spiders, skittering over and under my skin, leaving red-hot trails wherever they went.

Lung took one heavy step forward and slammed his fist into my stomach - or he would have, If I hadn't disappeared with a Shunpo. I reappeared beneath his guard and a newly summoned Benihime traced over his skin, blood spraying from the long cuts. His frame lit up with flames once more, prompting me to vanish. When I appeared, a burst of flame was coming towards me, blackening the gravel of the rooftop. I used a Shunpo to dodge to the side of it, used another to dart by the huge man and cut across his torso once more. I tried to charge up a Nake behind him, but he harried me with another gout of flame, preventing me from producing any powerful attacks.

For a handful of seconds our fight fell into a rhythm, me darting around and across his stationary form, Benihime tearing through his flesh, him retaliating with blasts of fire and the occasional thrown fist. It was a stalemate, he was too strong for me to risk taking a hit and trading blows with him, and I was too fast for him to score a direct hit on.

His onslaught of fire stopped for half a second. I came out of my blur of Shunpo only to find him gone, an empty space where his body had once been. My eyes darted around before catching him above me in the sky, fists raised above his head, clasped together in a hammer shape. I sprung backwards and flooded Benihime with my reiryoku. Lung landed with a ridiculously heavy impact, throwing up bucketloads of gravel, his fist's punching through the rooftop and getting trapped there for half a second.

And just as with Lung's own flurry of attacks, half a second was all I needed.

I whispered the name of the Nake attack as I swung the blade, the iridescent wave of energy tearing through his flesh and carving a chunk out of his side. I grunted in surprise as the man charged forward through the blow, dragging his fists through the roof and underneath me, tossing me into the air as If I weighed nothing. I floated for a second, eyes wide, a small part of my mind whispering that he had _baited_ me.

He grunted.

And _spiked_ me like a _fucking volleyball_.

The world span around me like a pinwheel, a messy blur of greys and blues that I couldn't make sense of. I roughly felt clip the edge of the rooftop, felt my arm very nearly shatter, felt myself pass over the building and into the chasm below. There was no control, no finesse; just me, flipping head over heels like some sort of robed boomerang. I couldn't even Shunpo out my descent, the technique was movement and not teleportation, and I couldn't achieve it like this.

A mass of grey suddenly overwhelmed my field of vision.

 _Fuck me._

My arm snapped when I ploughed through the side of the building, even though I had flooded my entire body with Reiryoku. I felt cement and brick burst into billions of tiny pieces as I collided with it, felt my body slam into the floor and bounce back up nearly a foot, felt myself collide with the floor once more and slide across it, bowling over a table and chairs.

 _Goddamn son of a cocksucking bitch._

I couldn't even cry out in pain; I was winded, there was no air in my lungs, and so my attempted scream of pain came out as a racking wheeze instead. My visibility was poor; the room swam unsteadily and was obscured by a grey and brown cloud of dust. Splinters and chunks of brick littered the floor, and the broken remains of what was once a table covered my body.

My arm had taken the brunt of the impact, and was broken in what I think was several places, the fragmented pieces grinding against each other, pressed beneath the weight of my body and the broken table in a way that was… painful.

I pressed my hand against the floorboards, grit my teeth, and levered myself up slowly, crying out in pain as my voice came back to me, shattered pieces of wood slowly tumbling off my body.

I staggered forwards, trying to hold my left arm steady with my right, my eyes unable to see through the thick smoke I'd left behind when I'd crashed through the wall.

I neared the edge of the wall I'd come through, the dust and smoke clearing slightly, enough for me to see the skyscraper I'd been thrown from. I looked up, hoping to see Lung and learn of his position. But instead, I saw Bakuda plummeting from the sky, body limp.

And all of a sudden, I realised that I needed Bakuda alive.

The thought made my gut churn.

It was because of my broken arm and damaged body. With it, my combat potential was drastically lowered. I couldn't partake in intense movement without difficulty or any form of close combat, nor could I wield my Hado and Bakudo while using one of my blades. It was a terrible situation, especially so considering how obviously dangerous Lung was - enough to make me uncertain that I would be able to beat him, even at full power, let alone with a shattered arm.

Bakuda would be able to provide the necessary supporting fire to keep Lung on the defensive, to pressure him into staying wary. Hopefully, it would allow me the time to build up an attack strong enough to kill him in one hit. There was also the chance that she held some kind of healing device on her body, which would be invaluable to me.

It was infuriating, that Bakuda's life now held value because of my own weakness. The very thought of it made my lip curl in revulsion. That I now desperately needed someone that disgusted me so much. But there was nothing to be done. I was badly injured, and I needed Bakuda if I wanted to win a fight against what was probably the Bay's toughest cape.

So I threw myself from the building, and I _moved._

Bakuda was falling quickly. I had a single arm I could use to catch her, and had to be careful to avoid jarring my left arm. I could think of a handful of Bakudo I could use in this situation, but those would take time and concentration, neither of which I had much of right now. No, I'd have to catch her myself.

Bakuda was nearing the ground now, and I wasn't anywhere near close enough to catch her. I pushed my Shunpo more, the muscles in my legs starting to burn from exhaustion.

Bakuda was now twenty metres from the ground.

There wasn't even a seconds time between my Shunpo jumps, I was more a blur of black and white than I was the figure of Regalia.

Ten metres from the ground.

I outstretched my good hand, cringing in pain as my left arm shook, juddering the wrecked bones in it.

Five metres.

I was close enough to see Bakuda's face, eyes wide with surprise, mouth open.

My good hand wrapped around her waist and managed to manoeuvre her body over my shoulder.

One.

I grit my teeth and moved backwards with a Shunpo. I felt muscles in my leg tear at the intense strain, fighting against both my momentum and the push of gravity.

I managed to pull it off, the backwards Shunpo killing my downward momentum and leaving me and Bakuda drifting a couple of metres off the ground, practically floating.

And then we fell.

My arm was jarred as we hit the ground, painful enough to make me flinch and stagger, which, coupled with the weight of Bakuda and my torn legs, brought me to my knees. Bakuda toppled off my shoulder, gasping frantically for breath and staring at me in complete bewilderment.

There was a crowd of people that had gathered around the bottom of the tall skyscraper, and that were now making their way over here, smartphone's held high. A big problem, for obvious reasons.

"I need you to heal me," I commanded hurriedly, suddenly realising I had no idea where Lung was.

"What the hell?" She choked out.

 _"A Healing Bomb,"_ I spat, Reiatsu starting to pour off my body and saturating the air, both from the immense pain in my arm and with the need to get Bakuda to hurry the fuck up.

Bakuda looked hopelessly overwhelmed, but reached into her waistcoat and grabbed a small, ovular grey object. She compressed the switch in the top of it, surrounding the two of us in a small grey field.

I felt the bones in my broken arm starting to knit together, felt the sinews in my leg and burns on my arms start to mend. But the field flickered out after about 15 seconds, leaving my legs and arms more or less fixed, but my arm still consisting of more broken pieces than whole.

Bakuda slammed the bomb into the ground, then did so again when the field didn't pop back up.

"It's broken." She muttered under her breath, her eyes then flickering back to me, far too many emotions held within them for me to understand what was going through her head.

Not like I would have the time to do so, anyway.

Lung burst into existence twenty metres down the avenue, a faint cloud of ash telling me that Oni Lee was in the area as well. The scaled man rolled his now elongated neck and started to walk his way towards me, hands already heated to a broiling orange. The crowd behind me fell into a terrified quiet.

 **"Regalia,"** He rumbled, his voice echoing throughout the silence that seemed to hold the world.

This could very well be the worst case scenario for fighting Lung. I was injured, had a civilian crowd at my back, and he was already well into his transformation. On top of that, Oni Lee was hanging around somewhere, undoubtedly waiting to slip a knife into my ribs.

I stood up anyway, back straight, Benihime coming to my hand in a gout of crimson energy.

"Lung," I greeted calmly.

The Dragon of Kyushu chuckled roughly, and started to charge.

* * *

 **I've been promising the classic Worm Lung fight for a long, long time, and I've finally got around to delivering.**

 **I decided to go the route of making Bakuda somewhat more important than she was in canon, simply because it's not done in many other places. Lisa and Taylor forming a partnership? Done a million times. Taylor having ridiculous powers? Done even more. A Danny arc that's completely pointless? Basically every Worm fic. But Bakuda being a character that actually gets fleshed out? Not particularly common.**

 **Not much else to say, really. Taylor not being able to Shunpo out of the throw is somewhat bullshit, I know, but I don't think it's entirely unfeasible either. Yes, I'm sacrificing world mechanics for plot. Yes, I'm an awful author for doing so. Complain about whatever you want, but do yourself a favour and gloss over that, because I'm well aware of the issue.**

 **Thank you very much for reading. And because I'm curious, I'll ask you all what you think the best and worst points about WGAE are. Feel free to tear into my weak little heart as much as you want.**

 **Now go enjoy your summer.**


	22. A Hiatus, and an Apology

**As you might have guessed, With Grace and Elegance is going on Hiatus. And as you might have also guessed -**

 **I'm Sorry.**

 **It's been about a month and a half since I uploaded Bloom 4-1. Since then, I've started a new fic, of which I've written about 10,000 words, started an original piece, of which I've written about 20,000 words, and started Bloom 4-2, of which I've written about 2,000 words. I could chalk this up to my busy summer schedule, the godawful heat, my writing course, or just general summer laziness, but I don't think that's the case; when I open up any of my other projects, 'published' or not, I find myself spending hours and hours refining the pieces, adding to them, writing word after word after word. And when I open up With Grace and Elegance?**

 **I stare blankly at the screen.**

 **Simply put, I've lost inspiration for it.**

 **Whether that's because of my loss of interest in Worm, or something else, I don't know. Whatever the case, I'm lacking the drive I used to possess. Because of this, I'm going to put this piece on hold, for the time being. Since first uploading it, WGAE has become one of my proudest achievements (regardless of the fact that the earlier chapters are predominantly hot garbage.) It's a piece I genuinely love and care for. And I don't want to see that love fade, to force myself to write chapters that I don't really want to write - because that, in my experience, leads to shitty work. Hell, just look at Bleach; somewhere along the line, Tite Kubo stopped caring about Bleach, and it shows. In the plot, in the characters, in the art. I don't want that to happen to WGAE. So I'm putting it on hold, until I rediscover that spark of inspiration that once fueled it. This is most certainly not a permanent thing. The one year anniversary of this piece is coming up in a few months, and If I don't have a new chapter up by then, I'll at least have rewritten some of the earlier chapters - god knows they need it.**

 **I don't know how long this Hiatus will be. It could be a few weeks, it could be a few months. All I know is that I'm sure as hell coming back.**

 **So, for now, this is goodbye.**

 **Kind of.**

 **And** _ **finally,**_ **I'd like to thank all the reviewers that have been here since the very beginning. You know who you are. And you're all a bunch of beautiful fucking bastards.**

 **Thank you for your time.**


	23. Yet Another Announcement

Goddamit.

I mean, really - three of these things. But it had to be done, I suppose.

The rewrite I posted over the first chapter will be going into a new story, along with all the other rewrite work I do. There are more reasons behind this than I care to name, and pretty much every review mentioned it to some extent, so it's happening. The rewrite will be under the name "Grace and Elegance"-I'm too attached to the original name for my own good-and can be found under my profile. The original chapter will be put back up shortly afterwards so that there isn't any confusion between the two pieces.

Thanks for bearing with me and my general technical ineptitude.

Signed,

Ten Tonne Skeleton.


End file.
